Prince George, B.C. – Housing starts in Prince George  were up last month compared to May of  2015 but the number of  multiple family units  have nearly  doubled the year to date figures.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,  there were 12 single family  home  construction starts  last month,  up from  8 in the same month  a year ago.

There was no change in the number of multiple family dwelling (3) construction starts when May of 2016 is compared to May of 2015.

Year to date figures   show there were  60  single  family dwellings started by the end  of May of  2015,   while the first five months of  this year saw  51 such  construction starts.

The big difference  is in the year to date  starts for multiple family dwellings.

In the first five months of  last year,  there had been  just 24, while  this year, that number has more than quadrupled, to  116  multiple family unit starts  during the same  time frame.    That jump in construction for multiple  family units  pushed the year to  date  housing starts total  to 167, nearly double the 84 recorded as a total  for the first 5 months of 2015.