Residential development in Montgomery County has seen a significant surge as townhomes and multi-unit buildings outpace newly built, detached homes by the highest percentage ever, writes Brian McCrone for NBC10.

According to the latest housing analysis released by the county, seven out of 10 new homes built in the last year were either attached or multi-family. Attached homes are generally considered to be townhomes, while multi-family units are apartments and condominiums.

The boom in townhouse and condominium construction is being driven by affordability, available land, and growing interest in town center-type living, notes Scott France, Montgomery County’s Section Chief of Planning. The report shows that 1,838 housing units were constructed last year, up from 1,605 in 2014.

“It’s been awhile since the Great Recession, but it’s been a long while recovering from it,” said France. “What we’ve seen the last four or five years is a steady increase.”

Also, detached homes now have smaller residential footprints as the plots of land, rather than the homes themselves, become smaller.

“Developers are trying to fit more housing on a plot of land. And people are more amenable to not having an acre or a half acre,” said France.

Read more about the housing trend at NBC10 by clicking here.