Missing-middle housing might be the answer

By: J. David Chapman/July 1, 2021

Many cities are struggling to provide enough housing at attainable pricing for both homeowners and those preferring to rent. There is a growing objection in some communities to increasing the density and allowing different housing types as well as adding a mixed-use of commercial and residential property in close proximity.

There is an answer that doesn’t have the density of traditional apartment complexes and the concerns they bring.

The answer is a description of a development product we call the “missing middle.” It describes a valuable category of housing products, such as bungalows, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, providing an avenue for incrementally introducing more housing choices with a greater range of prices and rents.

These products, when added to midsized apartments, mansion houses, town houses and condominiums – intentionally mixed with single-family homes in a walkable area with access to public transportation and retail – become a sustainable, resilient answer to many of the problems suburban municipalities are encountering.

Successful missing-middle products normally do not exceed the scale of a house, and they integrate well with other building types. They feature small, well-designed residences, with floor plans similar to single-family homes. There is a mixture of for-sale units and rental-units without any designation and determination of which is owned and which is rented.

This type of housing creates character and community both within the buildings and the neighborhood. These products also create an opportunity for residents with the flexibility to start a new business in a life-work building type.

Probably, the most attractive characteristic about having diversity in housing types is the diversity in people that it brings to the neighborhood. Simply the fact that it brings a mixture of rental and ownership opportunities brings a diverse age group, including young adults starting careers and baby boomers wanting to shed that mortgage for more flexibility. The goal of missing-middle housing is to smartly and seamlessly increase density within residential areas to provide financial and familial housing choice.

It is time our communities discuss housing options and density implications through multiple lenses including economic development, public finance, natural resources, and community character. Strategically speaking, this missing-middle product may just be the answer to problems facing our cities today.

J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).