What is Missing Middle housing?
"Missing Middle” housing refers to a range of building types that are compatible in scale, form and construction with single-family homes, but include multiple housing units. Missing Middle housing is typically a two-to-four story multi-unit, clustered housing such as smaller townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes, detached courtyard cottages, attached courtyard apartments, or smaller apartment buildings (with fewer than 20 units) that are typically in walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods and support locally-serving retail.
We call them “Missing” because they have typically been illegal to build since the mid-1940’s and “Middle” because they sit in the middle of a spectrum between detached single-family homes and mid-rise to high-rise apartment buildings in terms of form and scale, as well as number of units, and often affordability. Decades ago, missing middle housing was an integral part of our neighborhoods.
Take a virtual bike tour of Silver Spring and adjacent neighborhoods to see examples of “Missing Middle” housing here in Montgomery County!
Sierra Club webinar on Missing Middle Housing - July 2020 Missing Middle Webinar
1) climate change; 2) social/economic equity; and 3) housing supply
Missing Middle Housing in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, like many high-cost jurisdictions, has struggled with how to ensure its housing is affordable and attainable for residents at all income levels.
Montgomery Planning is undertaking two planning initiatives that have a significant focus on Missing Middle housing.
- The Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan will re-examine downtown Silver Spring and parts of the predominantly single-family-home neighborhoods just outside of the downtown area to determine how new and diverse housing types not presently allowed might be permitted in certain areas. We anticipate that the Montgomery County Council and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will adopt the plan in Fall of 2022.
- Thrive Montgomery 2050 is the update of the county’s General Plan, a long-range policy framework for guiding future land use and growth for the next 30 years. Thrive Montgomery 2050 provides the opportunity to look for new tools such as Missing Middle housing, to increase our housing production to meet the needs of current and future residents. We anticipate that the Montgomery County Council and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will adopt Thrive Montgomery 2050 in 2021.
- Why is building Missing Middle housing important?
- Would Missing Middle housing address equity issues in the county?
- Will building Missing Middle housing fix Montgomery County’s housing affordability issues?
- If Missing Middle housing exists in Montgomery County, why do we need any changes? How can more Missing Middle housing be built in Montgomery County?