The Truth About Missing Middle Housing: Challenges and Solutions

TLDRCities are legalizing missing middle housing but facing challenges in actually building them due to regulations and high costs. The cost of land, building size limitations, parking requirements, and development fees hinder the construction of missing middle housing. To address the housing crisis, cities should allow larger and taller buildings, eliminate or lower parking requirements and development fees, and encourage innovative solutions like strata titling. The key is finding a balance between preserving neighborhood character and creating more affordable housing options.

Key insights

🏢Cities across North America are changing their zoning bylaws to allow for more housing in single-family neighborhoods.

💼Regulations and high costs make it financially challenging for homeowner developers to build missing middle housing.

🚗Parking requirements add additional costs and limit the size of missing middle housing developments.

💰Development fees and the high cost of land make it difficult to create affordable missing middle housing.

🔑Solutions include allowing larger and taller buildings, eliminating or lowering parking requirements and development fees, and encouraging innovative approaches like strata titling.

Q&A

Why are cities legalizing missing middle housing but not building enough of it?

—Cities are facing challenges such as building size limitations, parking requirements, and development fees, which hinder the construction of missing middle housing and make it financially challenging for homeowner developers.

What are the obstacles to building missing middle housing?

—The obstacles include limitations on building size, high land costs, parking requirements, and development fees, which add extra costs and discourage the construction of missing middle housing.

How can cities encourage the construction of missing middle housing?

—Cities can encourage the construction of missing middle housing by allowing larger and taller buildings, eliminating or lowering parking requirements and development fees, and exploring innovative solutions like strata titling.

What is strata titling?

—Strata titling is a process that allows homeowners to convert their existing lot into two or more distinct properties, enabling them to sell or rent out additional units. This encourages the construction of missing middle housing.

What is the impact of missing middle housing on overall rents?

—Studies have shown that the implementation of upzoning and the addition of missing middle housing can lead to lower rents, providing more affordable housing options.

Timestamped Summary

00:00Cities are changing zoning bylaws to allow more housing in single-family neighborhoods.

02:00Challenges such as building size limitations, parking requirements, and development fees hinder the construction of missing middle housing.

04:55High land costs and extra requirements make it financially challenging for homeowner developers to build missing middle housing.

06:51Eliminating or lowering parking requirements and development fees can encourage the construction of missing middle housing.

09:31Allowing homeowners to convert their lots into distinct properties through strata titling can incentivize the construction of missing middle housing.

10:16Cities need to find a balance between preserving neighborhood character and creating more affordable housing options.

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