3,000 new homes coming to O.C.

May 26th, 2011, 6:22 am
by Jeff Collins

Homebuilding is making a comeback of sorts in Orange County after coming to a near-standstill in the slump.

At least 28 new housing projects have been launched since the fall or will be launched by next fall, a Register survey of local builders shows.

In all, those projects include more than 3,000 houses, townhomes and duplexes.

By comparison, fewer than 2,000 building permits were issued for such homes in the same period in 2009-10, and only around 1,600 were issued in 2008-09.

Irvine housing consultant John Burns said it’s part of a tentative reawakening.

“Builders are an optimistic breed,â€