MIDDLE HOUSING

addressing Our City’s Housing needs

a look at the missing middle housing in El Paso

One-stop online resource to find information about the options you have for expanding middle housing and discover why these innovative solutions are essential for addressing our city’s housing needs.

enabling missing middle housing

Middle Housing refers to a lack of medium-density housing in the North American context. ​Medium-density housing is characterized by a range of multi-family or clustered housing types that are still compatible in scale and heights with single-family or transitional neighborhoods. Middle housing is described as missing, because middle housing typologies were once common nationwide, including El Paso. Multi-family housing facilitates walkable neighborhoods and affordable housing, and provides a response to changing demographics.

FAQs

  • Missing middle housing is a term that is used to describe an array of housing types ranging in scale from duplexes to smaller apartments, typically with less than 20 units. Within this range, other housing types include, triplexes, quadplexes, townhomes, cottage courts and mansion-style apartments.

    1. Expand housing choice for different income levels and household types.

    2. Promote a balanced approach to housing density while maintaining neighborhood character.

    3. Support the development of missing middle housing by loosening requirements (zoning constraints)

  • Numerous studies demonstrate that middle housing is most successful in neighborhoods with the following characteristics:

    • Walkable neighborhoods

    • Near services and amenities

    • Within transit-rich areas

    • In proximity to major employment centers

      Central El Paso is the ideal area for introducing middle housing due to its walkable neighborhoods, proximity to service amenities, and transit networks, as well as established infrastructure capable of supporting increased population.

  • The current zoning regulations do not align with the existing housing patterns, restricting the construction of diverse housing types that could meet the needs of residents.

    Newer neighborhoods outside of Central El Paso could benefit from greater housing diversity that could be accomplished through more incremental changes, allowing smaller middle housing options such as duplexes, triplexes or quadplexes.