Supervisors keep limits on building permits

Carson City housing will continue to grow at no more than 3 percent a year.

Carson supervisors approved Thursday a limit on building permits for 2002 at 676 residential building permits, and 696 permits for 2003.

Community Development Director Walt Sullivan said developers use about 57 percent of permits, leaving the rest for individual home builders.

As of Thursday, 196 of the available 679 permits this year, 29 percent, have been used. Last year, only 43 percent of the 660 permits were used.

Carson City has grown at no more than 3 percent since 1978, limiting not its population but the number of homes that can be built. The city has never issued the full number of permits, coming closest in 1996 with 94 percent of 586 permits.

Carson's population is just over 53,000 and city planners estimate the growth ordinance would limit the population from climbing higher than 56,300 in 2002.