New building permits issued in the first five months of the year showed a year-over-year drop in all five boroughs for the second year in a row, according to data prepared by the Department of Buildings for The Real Deal. Citywide, permits were down 48.5 percent from the same period last year to 720, and were down 69 percent from the first half of 2007, when the building boom was still in full force. Of the five boroughs, Manhattan saw the biggest drop from last year, with 18 building permits filed between January and May, or 72.3 percent fewer than in the same period of 2008. This number was off 71.9 percent from 2007. Brooklyn and the Bronx were also hit hard, seeing a 66 percent drop to 115 permits, and a 67 percent drop to 73 permits, respectively. New permits in Brooklyn were off 79.9 percent from 2007, while in the Bronx they were off 81.1 percent. [more]