Apartment construction drove 2014 housing recovery in Ottawa County

BYRON CENTER, MI Apartments and condominium projects came roaring back in Ottawa County during 2014, fully recovering from a collapse of the market that dates back to 2008, according to Builder Track Reports.

Single family home starts also showed continued strength in the Lakeshore area, according to Builder Track Reports, which follows home building activity in West Michigan.

In Ottawa County, builders started construction on 443 apartment units, mostly to serve Grand Valley State Universitys student population in Allendale Township. Thats compared to a total of 52 units started in the previous four years. RELATED: 'Greek Town' housing project is a 'dream come true' for fraternities and sororities at Grand Valley State University

Builders also started construction on 198 condominium units in Ottawa County, nearly doubling the 103 units that were started in 2013.

In single family homes, builders took out permits for 742 projects, slightly down from 2013, when 759 homes were started in Ottawa County.

Georgetown Township continued to be the fastest-growing community in Ottawa County with 195 new single family home starts in 2014. Allendale Township was the second-fastest-growing community with 74 housing starts, followed by Holland and Grand Haven townships, with 65 and 57 housing starts. RELATED: New apartment construction soared in 2014 as renters clamored for housing near downtown

In Muskegon County, single family home starts were up slightly, from 127 projects in 2013 to 136 projects in 2014. No apartment projects were started. Seven condominium units were issued permits, according to Builder Track.

In the four Allegan County townships bordering Lake Michigan and the city of Saugatuck, single family homes starts were down slightly, from 73 in 2013 to 67 in 2014.

Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.

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Apartment construction drove 2014 housing recovery in Ottawa County