By KATHLEEN LYNN/RECORD Staff Writter After three years of deeply depressed home construction activity, building permits in New Jersey jumped by a third last year, buoyed by multifamily construction. While the number of units approved by the state, almost 18,000, remained far below the annual averages of a decade ago, it made 2012 the busiest … Continue reading N.J. home building permits rise in 2012 in housing construction