Multi‐family housing ( housing with two or more units ) is another component of housing type and availability in the Study Area . The majority of renter households live in multi‐family housing , so the availability of these units is essential to more mobile residents within the Study Area . Because military personnel at Keesler AFB may need to obtain affordable short‐ to mid‐term housing off‐base , it is important to ensure that there is adequate housing stock to meet the needs of the civilian residents as well as military personnel for communities within the JLUS Study Area . Multi‐family permit issuance is also an indicator of housing availability for military personnel who are single or who have small families .
Figure 2-12 Multi-Family Building Permits , 2004-201
Figure 2‐12 illustrates the trend in multi‐family building permits at the city , county , and state levels from 2004‐2014 . The numbers in the figure reflect the total multi‐family units constructed under building permits for a given year .
Permit issuance for multi‐family housing from 2004 to 2014 had similar trends to that of single‐family housing , although some of the trends are more sporadic . All jurisdictions in the Study Area , except for D ’ Iberville , experienced an increase in multi‐family permit activity in 2007 , two years after Hurricane Katrina and the start of the recession . After Hurricane Katrina , there was a surge in multi‐family housing development due to developers taking advantage of special tax incentives offered by the State of Mississippi . These tax incentives were retired from 2010 to 2012 . Since the recession , the jurisdictions have generally plateaued in the issuance of multi‐family permits . Multi‐family housing units appear to be generally on the rise within the JLUS Study Area , except for the state , which has remained generally low and experienced a decrease in permit activity in 2014 .
* Harrison County permits include Biloxi , D ’ Iberville , Gu Christian , and unincorporated Harrison County .
Source : SOCDS Building Permits Database , 2004 – 2014
Background Report