Construction Projects Increase In Silicon Valley
SANTA CLARA (KCBS) -- There are signs that the construction industry is picking up in Silicon Valley as a number of new projects jumped unexpectedly toward the end of last year.
Usually December is known to be a fairly slow month for construction, but two months ago the number of projects that went out to bid in Santa Clara County showed substantial increase.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
"What we found is that we had 188 projects in the builder's exchange in December which was our best number in four years," said Michael Miller, executive director of the Builder's Exchange.
January's numbers were up as well. According to Miller, much of the work is coming from the private sector.
"When people start to hire, then they start to fill up their spaces, and when they start filling up their spaces, then they start saying, well we need new spaces and that's where construction comes in and that's where we're getting really excited," explained Miller.
But builders' excitement is tempered with caution, after a two-year downturn in the construction industry.
"Everybody's nervous and we're keeping our fingers crossed," added Miller.
Residential construction continues to lag behind: the most recent report on home sales from DataQuick research found that only 253 new homes sold in the Bay Area last month.
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