
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993                   TAG: 9304210098
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

BLIZZARD SMOTHERED HOME CONSTRUCTION

The blizzard of '93 contributed to a downturn in housing starts last month, but analysts say construction should rebound this spring.

Construction of new single-family homes and apartments fell 4.6 percent to 1.13 million at a seasonally adjusted annual rate from 1.19 million in February, the Commerce Department said.

"It's mainly weather, and I think that's reflected by the regional pattern," said economist Michael Carliner of the National Association of Home Builders. Starts fell throughout the country except in the West, which experienced the largest increase in nearly two years.

March was the third straight month that weather adversely affected residential construction. Starts of new houses plunged 8.9 percent decline in January and advanced at a slower-than-expected 1.5 percent rate in February.

For the first three months of 1993, starts were down 7.3 percent from the 1992 period.

Analysts said the weather also contributed to a drop in applications for building permits, often a barometer of future activity. They fell 8.8 percent in March to 1.04 million from 1.14 million in February. It was the largest decline since permits fell by the same amount in April 1990.

by CNB