We’re bringing new Missing Middle Housing to Decatur.

What’s happening in Decatur?

In 2023, the Decatur city commission voted to amend the city’s zoning ordinances to allow for the development of up to a quadplex by-right in all single-family zones. Now, the city is working with community members to design a new missing middle housing development for the city-owned lot at 600 Commerce Drive.

In partnership with the City of Decatur, MicroLife Institute is hosting a series of educational and community engagement events to work with Decatur residents to design a potential missing middle housing development for 600 Commerce Drive to demonstrate the newly passed missing middle housing ordinances.

Check out our free online course about this initiative!

Take the Course!

Decatur Missing Middle Housing Safari!

The first event in our community engagement series was the Decatur Missing Middle Housing Safari.

The event was a safari walking tour down Drexel Avenue exploring the beautiful historic and modern missing middle housing in the downtown area.

We had a great turnout, and loved hearing from Decatur residents about what they noticed and what they liked about the existing missing middle housing in their neighborhoods!

Thanks to King of Pops Decatur, we enjoyed a sweet treat in the beautiful weather.

Decatur Resident Missing Middle Housing Design Charrette

Next, we hosted a Missing Middle Housing Design Charrette for Decatur residents. We invited locals to join us in the Decatur Recreation Center while we gave a presentation on what missing middle housing is. Download the slideshow here.

Then, participants had the opportunity to share their ideas and vision for what potential missing middle housing development they would like to see developed in Decatur.

Participants broke into small teams, brainstormed and crafted a potential design for the site layout at 600 Commerce Drive. Then each team presented their designs to the group.

The participant designs informed our MicroLife Institute architectural designers while creating an initial site plan for the potential future development.

We’re so grateful for the excitement and involvement we saw from Decaturites. Thanks for all of your amazing ideas!

Decatur Missing Middle Housing Design Review

View the presentation

On May 2, 2024 we hosted the culmination event of this community engagement series, the Decatur Missing Middle Housing Design Review.

During this event, we recapped our engagement process and the newly adopted zoning ordinance. We incorporated the values and concerns we heard from Decatur residents at the Decatur Missing Middle Housing Design Charrette to develop two concept designs for a potential development at 600 Commerce Drive.

We presented the two concept designs and opened up the floor for additional feedback and comments from community members.

Thank you to all who joined us, and for all of your support and invaluable feedback during this process!

We look forward to continuing to work with the City of Decatur on this missing middle housing initiative and potential development.

600 Commerce Neighbors Site Walk

After the Charrette, we invited immediate neighbors of the 600 Commerce Drive site to join us at the site for a walkthrough.

We received some very thoughtful questions, and had some great discussions about the site and the potential development that will be built on it.

Upcoming events.

Stay tuned as we announce upcoming events in this community engagement series!

What is Missing Middle Housing?

Missing middle housing describes housing types that fall in the middle of the spectrum between large single family homes and large multifamily apartments.

They’re called “missing” because they have largely been outlawed by modern zoning laws throughout the nation. Many of these housing types are illegal or administratively difficult to build today.

Missing Middle Housing…

1

is designed to blend in seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood.

2

is naturally affordable by “subsidy through density” and by simply having a smaller footprint.

3

provides housing diversity in walkable neighborhoods to suit a broad variety of housing needs, lifestyles, and life stages.

Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex & Multiplex

A duplex is a single building—designed to look and feel like a single-family home—that has two distinct residences. A triplex, quadplex, and multiplex follow the same definition, but contain three, four, or more than four residences respectively.

Townhomes

Townhomes are built in a row of attached housing units, typically facing the street or a courtyard.

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are an additional housing unit developed on the same lot as the larger, primary residence. Oftentimes, ADUs are built as a detached, free-standing structure in the backyard of the primary home.

Cottage Court

A cottage court is a group of typically 6 or more small single-family homes clustered around a common area. Oftentimes, a cottage court can be built on a lot that would otherwise fit one large single-family home.

Live-Work

Live-work housing is a dwelling that sits above or behind a non-residential space such as an office or retail storefront. This housing type was particularly common in downtown retail areas.