Missing Middle Housing

The Missing Middle Housing Study seeks to support the availability of more diverse housing types in Bloomington through the development of housing that is diverse in form and scale beyond what is currently offered on the market. Missing Middle Housing types (e.g., duplex, triplex, townhomes, cottage court apartments..) are important in a community like Bloomington as they offer solutions to meet the needs of all ages of residents and can better accommodate multigenerational living opportunities. Missing Middle Housing types may also reduce the cost of transportation when placed at areas that are accessible to pedestrian and transit networks and support for local businesses by enabling more customers to live in closer proximity to commerce. The Missing Middle Housing Study aims to understand the current barriers as they exist in Bloomington and inform future policies with inclusive community engagement strategies and evidence-based practices.

Promise to the Public: Staff is reaching out to the public to share information about Missing Middle Housing and collect feedback on experience, perspectives, and other information regarding the development of Missing Middle Housing broadly and in Bloomington. Staff will share project updates on this site, including information about key themes and learnings from the public, and how public input impacted the decisions.

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Have a question about Missing Middle Housing in Bloomington? Submit your questions here. Staff will respond by posting the question and answer on this site.

Share This is such an important topic! I wish the city would allow apartment buildings intermixed in purely residential areas, and not only on busier main streets like Lyndale or Nicollet, for example. Why can't a small apartment or condo with 4 or 8 units be built between two single-family homes? There is no reason other than its never been allowed, but that hardly is a reason not to allow it now. Minneapolis and St. Paul both do, and many of the apartment buildings hardly seem like apartments. We have to move away from the idea that apartments must be separate and that they must be near public transport (that should be a priority for all neighborhoods, but that is a different topic!). And then another thing to change is ordinances about lot size, set-back and minimum house size. If I have a large lot that can fit two smaller homes, I should be allowed to build two smaller homes and rent one or sell it. Why not? on Facebook Share This is such an important topic! I wish the city would allow apartment buildings intermixed in purely residential areas, and not only on busier main streets like Lyndale or Nicollet, for example. Why can't a small apartment or condo with 4 or 8 units be built between two single-family homes? There is no reason other than its never been allowed, but that hardly is a reason not to allow it now. Minneapolis and St. Paul both do, and many of the apartment buildings hardly seem like apartments. We have to move away from the idea that apartments must be separate and that they must be near public transport (that should be a priority for all neighborhoods, but that is a different topic!). And then another thing to change is ordinances about lot size, set-back and minimum house size. If I have a large lot that can fit two smaller homes, I should be allowed to build two smaller homes and rent one or sell it. Why not? on Twitter Share This is such an important topic! I wish the city would allow apartment buildings intermixed in purely residential areas, and not only on busier main streets like Lyndale or Nicollet, for example. Why can't a small apartment or condo with 4 or 8 units be built between two single-family homes? There is no reason other than its never been allowed, but that hardly is a reason not to allow it now. Minneapolis and St. Paul both do, and many of the apartment buildings hardly seem like apartments. We have to move away from the idea that apartments must be separate and that they must be near public transport (that should be a priority for all neighborhoods, but that is a different topic!). And then another thing to change is ordinances about lot size, set-back and minimum house size. If I have a large lot that can fit two smaller homes, I should be allowed to build two smaller homes and rent one or sell it. Why not? on Linkedin Email This is such an important topic! I wish the city would allow apartment buildings intermixed in purely residential areas, and not only on busier main streets like Lyndale or Nicollet, for example. Why can't a small apartment or condo with 4 or 8 units be built between two single-family homes? There is no reason other than its never been allowed, but that hardly is a reason not to allow it now. Minneapolis and St. Paul both do, and many of the apartment buildings hardly seem like apartments. We have to move away from the idea that apartments must be separate and that they must be near public transport (that should be a priority for all neighborhoods, but that is a different topic!). And then another thing to change is ordinances about lot size, set-back and minimum house size. If I have a large lot that can fit two smaller homes, I should be allowed to build two smaller homes and rent one or sell it. Why not? link

This is such an important topic! I wish the city would allow apartment buildings intermixed in purely residential areas, and not only on busier main streets like Lyndale or Nicollet, for example. Why can't a small apartment or condo with 4 or 8 units be built between two single-family homes? There is no reason other than its never been allowed, but that hardly is a reason not to allow it now. Minneapolis and St. Paul both do, and many of the apartment buildings hardly seem like apartments. We have to move away from the idea that apartments must be separate and that they must be near public transport (that should be a priority for all neighborhoods, but that is a different topic!). And then another thing to change is ordinances about lot size, set-back and minimum house size. If I have a large lot that can fit two smaller homes, I should be allowed to build two smaller homes and rent one or sell it. Why not?

KarenMpls asked 7 months ago

Thank you for your comment, and we are so pleased to hear that you value diversity in the form and scale of housing. Much of the conditions you describe (i.e., why can’t small apartments or condos be built as infill development between two existing single-unit dwellings, why must multi-family apartments exist in such a small percentage of the land zoned for residential use in the City) are the result of, as you described, the mere fact that it represents a change from how the community developed in the Post-WW2 era expansion. The goal of the Missing Middle study is to determine the right balance of change using code changes, interdepartmental coordination efforts, wide- reaching outreach and education opportunities to ensure that high-opportunity areas increase their housing options. If you would like to stay in touch as this project evolves, please feel free to reach out to me (my contact information is provided under the heading 'Who's Listening') or you may sign up for periodic updates by subscribing to this project. Thanks again for your question! -Mallory

Page last updated: 04 Mar 2024, 12:52 PM

Missing Middle Housing

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