An Apartment Building Boom?

I've been asked by several readers lately why there seems to be so many apartment projects being built in Huntsville right now. But after reviewing thirty years of housing data for the city, it turns out that the current “spurt” in apartment construction isn't anywhere near record-breaking; in fact, it’s just a little better than average.

A look at multi-family units completed by year in Huntsville city limits. (Graph by James Vandiver)

Multi-family developments (mostly apartments, but some condos) in Huntsville have come in “waves” over the past thirty years. As you can see from the graph above, after a record-breaking 2,558 new units in 1984, construction steadily decreased over the next decade, bottoming out at zero units in 1996. Since then, development has been erratic, ranging from 1,112 units opening in 2008 to a mere 4 units just three years later. This year, around 600 units are expected to be completed; the average over the past thirty years is around 500 units.

Here’s a map of apartment projects that are planned, under construction or recently completed within Huntsville city limits. Blue pushpins indicate completed projects; red pushpins are projects under construction; green pushpins are proposed developments. 

View Huntsville Apartment Development in a larger map