The dream of a detached single-family home is out of financial reach for many, but it’s not just about money.
Single-family zoning laws have had an exclusionary effect, creating economic and racial boundaries. The New York Times reported that on average, 75 percent of residential land in American cities is dedicated to single-family homes. In some areas, the rate is far higher.
The markets have changed dramatically in the demand for more rental choices, but zoning laws have yet to catch up.
A 2023 survey from the National Association of Realtors found that 77 percent of respondents would pay a premium to live in a walkable neighborhood, and for Gen Z, that figure shot up to 92 percent.
More than half of those surveyed would prefer to own or rent an attached dwelling in a high-opportunity area, walkable to shops and restaurants, with a short commute to work.
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Dan Parolek, an architect and urban designer and founder of Opticos Design, wrote a book on addressing the gap between single-family homes and large apartment complexes. “We really need to think beyond the single-family detached house and how we can remove barriers for builders,” said Parolek in a recent ULI webinar.
“Missing Middle” housing types include duplexes, triplexes, cottage courts, townhouses, and small apartment buildings, typically with four to nine units grouped in a single structure. These help bridge the gap between large-lot single-family homes and high-rise apartment complexes.
Affordability is essential to the Missing Middle ethos. Parolek cited the Mews Homes project, part of the Daybreak development near Salt Lake City, Utah.
The infill project sits inside a ring of detached single-family homes. The design maximizes “the use of the deep block by facing an inner row of buildings onto a pedestrian-only, ambling walkway,” according to the Opticos case study. Units, sized from 960 to 1,400 square feet (89.2 to 130 sq m), were initially offered in the range of $180,000 to $220,000.
“They were able to sell at a price point between $25,000 and $30,000 less than the conventional three-story tuck-under townhouse with parking on the ground floor,” said Parolek. “We realized there’s a strong need and demand for building Missing Middle housing at scale.”
Master developers like Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park in Venice, Florida, are now developing lots adjacent to the town center.
For Severance, Missing Middle provides a transition from single-family neighborhoods to commercial centers and higher-density residential. “I loved the calculus of solving a problem that we’ve all been talking about for so long.”
Severance described an awkwardly shaped parcel within Wellen. “It would not be a site that you would want for a traditional multi-family because it didn’t have the geometry for that, and I felt like this might be the perfect opportunity for Missing Middle.” The site, with 187 rental units on 15 acres (6.1 ha), offers walkability to the commercial core.
Even a decade ago, it didn’t seem conceivable that large masterplan developers like Severance would apply Missing Middle principles at this scale.
Conventional zoning no longer matches development in both the public and private sectors. Parolek advocates for a state-of-the-art regulatory system that can deliver choices and remove barriers to housing that the market wants, and developers seek to deliver.
Jonathan Fearn, head of development at the Oak Impact Group in Northern California, became passionate about the Missing Middle but found it challenging to develop. “I struggled to better understand the policy environment I was operating in and why it was so difficult to get housing built in the Bay Area in particular.”
Fearn found that 82 percent of land in the Bay Area is zoned for single-unit housing, so until recently, only 18 percent of the remaining land could be devoted to multi-unit projects. “Zoning undergirds the whole issue from an environmental and economic standpoint.” Fearn asks, “How do we unlock these zoning constraints?”
In California, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have gained popularity through years of policy changes, allowing a new ecosystem to flourish. However, cities must opt in, rather than be mandated, to adopt zoning laws that favor multi-unit development.
Fearn pointed to progressive zoning updates in Oakland that eliminated conditionally permitted densities but said there’s still work to be done to promote affordable housing.
“At least 80 percent of cities across the country don’t effectively regulate for the delivery of Missing Middle,” pointed out Parolek. “Once you jump from two to three units in a building, you go from the residential building code to the commercial building code, which has huge cost implications.”
Beyond zoning, there are the challenges of building codes, liability issues, city planning choices, and fees, and cities simply not knowing what to ask for.
Despite efforts to update zoning, there’s more work to be done as an increasing population of downsizing Baby Boomers are drawn to smaller multi-unit developments.
The AARP has become an advocate for Missing Middle housing, and recently published a guide that serves as a great resource for educating decision makers, planners, and community members about the benefits of midsized, moderately priced homes.
The momentum for this housing paradigm shift is undeniable. A transformation is underway as cities adapt zoning laws to keep up with changing preferences, and developers innovate to meet the demand. The Missing Middle is key to unlocking a more inclusive and sustainable housing future.
