Although the number of new apartment building units recently reached the highest point in nearly 50 years, construction of duplexes, triplexes, and other buildings of from two to nine units made up just 1% of new housing units built in 2022. A few states have recently enacted new laws to spur more construction of these missing middle housing options that fall between single-family houses and large apartment buildings.
Oregon, California, and Maine have effectively ended single-family zoning, with regulations allowing multifamily housing units to be built.
Lawmakers in Arizona and Rhode Island recently introduced similar legislation. Reform of density zoning requirements often provokes a backlash, but faced with dire housing shortages, lawmakers have pressed ahead with the changes.
More than half of the 368,000 multifamily housing units built in the U.S. in 2022 were in buildings with 50 units or more, and nearly 88% of multiple-unit buildings constructed in 2022 contained 20 units or more, according to US Census Bureau data. In comparison, only about 2,000 duplexes were built.
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Jul 15, 2024
More permits for ADUs than single-family homes issued in San Diego
Popularity of granny flats growing in California
Vertical Transportation | Jul 12, 2024
Elevator regulations responsible for some of ballooning multifamily costs
Codes and regulations for elevators in the United States are a key factor in inflating costs of multifamily development, argues a guest columnist in the New York Times.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 10, 2024
3 noteworthy multifamily projects for July 2024
These three multifamily projects on our radar include an artist-inspired complex, seven-acres of senior housing, and a budget-conscious rental community.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 8, 2024
Boston receives 304 new market-rate and affordable housing units
The Smith No. 99 in Boston, Mass., is a new 305,000-sf mixed-use apartment community featuring 304 market rate and affordable housing units.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jul 2, 2024
Miami residential condo tower provides a deeded office unit for every buyer
A new Miami residential condo office tower sweetens the deal for buyers by providing an individual, deeded and furnished office with each condo unit purchased. One Twenty Brickell Residences, a 34-story, 240-unit tower, also offers more than 60,000 sf of exclusive residential amenities.
Senior Living Design | Jun 28, 2024
The country’s largest retirement community expands with educational facilities
The project will include a high school, a K-8 school, and an Early Learning Center aimed at serving the children of residents who work in qualified businesses within The Villages.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jun 27, 2024
Chicago’s long-vacant Spire site will be home to a two-tower residential development
In downtown Chicago, the site of the planned Chicago Spire, at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, has sat vacant since construction ceased in the wake of the Great Recession. In the next few years, the site will be home to a new two-tower residential development, 400 Lake Shore.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 25, 2024
New York mayor releases multi-year plan to address affordable housing crisis
The plan seeks to create and preserve affordable housing. It will incentivize the inclusion of permanently affordable and rent stabilized housing in new, multi-family construction projects.
Student Housing | Jun 25, 2024
P3 student housing project with 176 units slated for Purdue University Fort Wayne
A public/private partnership will fund a four-story, 213,000 sf apartment complex on Purdue University Fort Wayne’s (PFW’s) North Campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The P3 entity was formed exclusively for this property.
