Shakopee continues to be the Twin Cities leader in new-housing permits and for the number of housing units planned, according to the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC),

 Shakopee was the top city in the metro area with 54 permits issued in October, followed by Blaine (30), Maple Grove (24), Woodbury (23) and Lakeville (20).

The city was also tops in September in the number of housing units approved with 56, followed by Blaine (47), Woodbury (40), Maple Grove (26) and Lakeville (20).

For the year through October, Shakopee was the leader in new-housing permits with 264, followed by Blaine (158), Maple Grove (144), Woodbury (143) and Lakeville (109). For the number of units planned for the first 10 months of the year, Shakopee led with 281, followed by Blaine (212), Woodbury (205), St. Paul (180) and Maplewood (179).

Overall, according to the BATC, October building-permit activity in the region continued to show signs of improvement. Residential permits issued last month climbed 53 percent over October 2008, and were at the highest level since November 2007.