Region leads state in new housing permits

Housing permits approved in Connecticut during September rose 17 percent from the previous month, but fell slightly compared with a year ago.

Data released Thursday by the state Department of Economic and Community Development from the 128 Connecticut municipalities that report numbers showed 420 new-housing permits issued last month. That's well above the 349 permits in August, but a bit behind last September's 432 permits.

So far this year, 2,871 permits have been issued statewide. That's a 32 percent increase from the same period a year ago, but far behind the halcyon days on 2004-2005, when more than 7,000 permits were issued.

Top permit-issuing towns in the region so far this year are East Lyme, with 32; Stonington, 25; New London, 24; Old Saybrook, 23; Ledyard, 19, and Montville and Waterford, 10 each.

Stonington's permits have more than doubled so far this year compared with last year, while Old Saybrook's numbers are half what they were in 2011. Numbers for Lyme, Old Lyme and Griswold are not reported.

l.howard@theday.com