What role do existing single-family homes play in this Missing Middle Housing Initiative?

April 8, 2024

The County seeks to preserve the quality of life present in its many single-family neighborhoods, while also exploring the addition of new housing types.  Our preliminary study shows that the County has more single-family units than the housing market demands, and that excess can be productively leveraged through the Missing Middle Housing Initiative. If new housing types become allowable, homeowners would be able to invest in their single-family homes through conversion to a duplex, triplex, or quadplex.  Such a conversion can pay dividends: homeowners could rent out new units for additional income streams, and multigenerational families could live separately in the same building while saving on housing costs. As household sizes trend smaller over time, conversion enables small families to transform their large, costly homes into two or more units that meet market demand for smaller housing. The advantages of these changes will need to be carefully weighed against the need to retain the quality of life for neighborhoods, sufficient parking, the environment and public infrastructure.  A future Study will explore policy actions to implement conversions of single-family homes.