Enterprise, by Ahmad Abu-Khalaf

CAST contributed to this issue, highlighting recent updates on regulatory reforms and financing innovations aimed at the development of low-density multifamily housing.

View a PDF of the Issue Brief Here

What is low-density multifamily housing? There is no single, definition of lowdensity multifamily (LDMF) housing, which is also called gentle density housing or missing middle housing. LDMF housing varies across state and local housing markets depending on the market’s residential development patterns.

The effective definition of LDMF housing may also be influenced by what is allowable under current land use and zoning requirements. The effective definition of LDMF housing may also be influenced by what is allowable under current land use and zoning requirements.

On the financing side, several private entities have launched lending products tailored to LDMF housing. These loans are designed to provide debt capital for multifamily developments with small- to medium-sized loan balances.

Despite this progress, more work needs to be done to significantly boost LDMF housing nationwide. A much larger number of jurisdictions must adopt regulatory reforms that would lead to a broader regulatory landscape supportive of LDMF housing, enabling the housing industry to build it at scale.

Unlocking underutilized land zoned for single-family development to allow for LDMF housing has the potential to help jurisdictions ease their housing markets’ supply and affordability issues. However, boosting LDMF housing nationwide requires addressing the regulatory and financial barriers to creating this type of development at scale.

CAST’s co-founder Matt Hutchins, AIA, CPHD, and Seattle Planning Commissioner talks about the major update to the Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan.
one seattle for all - 2025/02/08 10:37 PST – Recording

Seattle is growing (and that’s good)!

How do we make room for new housing and be the kind of city we want to live in?

Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan major update – a 20-year growth strategy.

-        Must include affordable housing and middle housing

-        Housing planning aligns with planning for transportation, utilities, climate and the environment, capital
facilities and parks/open space

Two kinds of affordable housing:
1. Subsidized and deeply affordable
2. Less expensive housing by size, type, and age (ie. ADUs, small apartments

-        Neighborhood centers can hold both types of affordable housing

-        Middle housing is less expensive and a great option

-        Urban Neighborhood housing types: single-family housing with ADU, duplexes, townhomes, stackedflats

We need more affordable housing – where does it go?

-        Neighborhood centers can support both types of affordable housing

Let your city council member know you support affordable housing, and you also support neighborhood centers and middle housing.
oneseattleforall.org

Matt Hutchins addresses the critical issue of “missing middle” housing in the U.S., exploring the housing gap that falls between single-family homes and high-density apartments. Serving as a jury member for the Denver Single-Stair Housing Challenge organized by Buildner, he focuses on innovative solutions to promote accessible, medium-density housing options.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orW8tnmPSv0

Missing-middle housing is a housing type that fits in the middle between single-family detached houses and larger apartment buildings. That’s duplexes, tri-plexes, four-plexes, ten-plexes, and small apartment buildings. It’s any sort of increment of density that is greater than a single-family house, but isn’t the blocks of apartment buildings that is much of what we see in the development world today. Missing-middle housing is important for urban development because American cities have lots of space. They are nowhere near full. We have empty parking lots. We have lots that were never developed. We have space in our cities we can use or reuse. There are many opportunities within our cities to densify and make use of existing infrastructure without having to assemble a whole block or use more “high-wire acts” with regard to development.

• Make good use of small lots

• Use of single-stair buildings is a critical tactic for taking advantage of small urban lots

• Adapt building regulations and make required changes

• Use underutilized urban land

• Use space correctly

• We have already invested in the urban infrastructure

• We can have a more efficient city and residents with a lower carbon footprint

• ADUs and DADUs are powerful tools to keep communities together, keep the property in family, and create generational wealth

• Missing-middle housing is compact, efficient, and sustainable

Published at Seattle’s Daily Journal of Commerce https://www.djc.com/news/ae/12162400.html