The City of Santa Rosa is kicking off its engagement effort for its Missing Middle Housing Initiative with an online community meeting on April 19. The initiative and this first of two meetings are intended to facilitate the creation of policies and standards that would increase house-scale infill housing throughout the city.
Missing middle housing is defined as house-size buildings with multiple units—such as converted homes, duplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes—in walkable neighborhoods. Since the 1940s, these types of homes have lagged behind single-family homes and mid-/high-rise apartments in terms of widespread development, and now they are viewed as a needed small-scale, gentle density solution as part of a broader effort to create more homes during the current California housing crisis.
Housing is a City Council priority, and the city is seeking ways to broaden the allowed housing types to address the various needs of its residents. As part of this effort, the Missing Middle Housing Initiative will consider amendments that would add standards to allow for streamlined permitting process and establish development standards for these types of homes.
To kick off this community engagement effort, the city will be hosting an online community meeting on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. to provide information about missing middle housing and to ask for feedback. Residents can register now for that meeting.
For more information, go to srcity.org/MissingMiddleHousing.
