Missing-Middle Housing Comes Into Focus

Minneapolis is one case study for providing housing for the “missing middle.” The widely hailed Minneapolis 2040 plan aims to supply more affordable homes by getting rid of exclusively single-family zoning, and other cities and states (California, with SB35) are following suit. It allows gentle-density homes such as duplexes and triplexes to help meet demand, although other zoning rules concerning building codes and minimum parking standards are still in the way. Also, Minneapolis 2040 is currently being fought in court: No surprise, given that in a 2021 survey, “[n]early all developers (91%) said the activist public — including NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) and BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) groups — impeded new housing development.”

Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2023/11/13/zoning-policy-missing-middle-housing.html