Byline: ALBY GALLUN

The local commercial building industry has gotten off to an especially slow start this year, with all but the health care sector logging steep declines in the first quarter.

Chicago-area non-residential construction starts totaled $731 million in the quarter, a 60% drop from the year-earlier period, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a unit of McGraw-Hill Cos. Volume in the retail, office and hotel markets fell by nearly 70%.

Financing has dried up for many projects as the nation's lenders wrestle with the credit crisis, and many economists believe the economy has already slipped into a recession, which will reduce demand for space. ...