New housing permits issued by Connecticut communities in March fell 38.6 percent over the same period in 2016, officials with the state Department of Economic and Community Development said Thursday.There were 326 new housing permits issued last month, compared to 531 in March 2016. The March housing data added to what already a dismal first quarter for new home builders, said Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for New Haven-based DataCore Partners.