By Whitney M. Woodworth, The Republic | azcentral.com
With numbers still a fraction of what they were before recession, construction of new homes has dragged and sputtered Valley-wide. But one West Valley city has deviated from the slump.
Residential building permits in Peoria jumped 21 percent from 2013 to 2014, the most of any city in the West Valley, according to a report by the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. There were 1,056 permits issued in 2014.
“We are seeing a huge influx right now,” Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat said. “The entire Valley is moving west.”
Peoria was one of only four cities in Maricopa County to see in an increase in residential building permits. The other communities include Paradise Valley, Queen Creek and Scottsdale.
Empty stretches of desert, like those in northern Peoria, attract developers and homebuyers.
