BERWICK – More than 25 people camped in the parking lot outside of town hall to get hard-to-get building permits.

Equipped with heaters, cots and sleeping bags, people began forming a line Wednesday night to be at the front of the line Friday when the permits were issued. It was the second straight year that people lined up overnight to get permits the first business day of the year.

Under the town’s growth ordinance, only 70 building permits – 35 for single lots, 35 for subdivision lots – are issued each year.

On Friday, the town made available 12 permits for single lots and 35 permits for subdivision lots. All single-lot permits were snatched up before noon, while 11 subdivision permits were given out.

Twelve more single-lot permits will be issued beginning March 31, and the final 11 for the year will be available starting July 1.

Tim Metivier of Metco Architecture and Design waited in line for three subdivision permits. Last year he picked up nine, but an amendment to the law now allows only three permits to be issued per subdivision on Jan. 2, three more beginning March 31 and three more starting July 1, if they are available.

Metivier said the building cap is driving up the price of housing and land in town because demand exceeds supply. He added that the law keeps some people from building on land they own.

“They’re meeting their goal of slowing growth,” he said. “It’s just not a very nice way.”

Judy Haley of Lebanon was first in line a year ago when she waited 24 hours for four subdivision and eight single-lot permits. This year she waited two hours for subdivision building permits.

Like Metivier, she fears the building cap is driving up housing costs.

“There’s not going to be any affordable housing,” she said.