A Missing Middle Pilot Project Proposed in Maryland

• June 23, 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

To get the ball rolling on missing middle housing in Montgomery County, the county's affordable housing partner is proposing a demonstration project in Sandy Spring. 

On behalf of owners the Housing Opportunities Commission and its subsidiary RAD6 Development Corporation, Townscape Design LLC has filed a concept plan application to add 22 missing middle units to the Sandy Spring Village Center (map). "Missing middle housing" describes the insertion of denser residential development in single-family neighborhoods, often in ways that retain the area's physical appearance.

The 14-acre Sandy Spring Meadows Subdivision that includes the subject site was built with 60 affordable rental detached houses in the early 1980s, and these units remain relatively affordable despite the moderately-priced dwelling unit (MPDU) status expiring 20 years after construction.

The current application pertains to 3.27 acres of the subdivision and would insert six duplex units, 12 triplex units, and four carriage houses, along with a 900 square-foot central community space, amid 11 existing detached units. Ten of the proposed units would be MPDUs, and all of the units would incorporate green building principles and "low impact design techniques" like cisterns to harvest rainwater. 

The application would rezone one of the parcels to match the R-60 zoning on the remainder of the site, and would also create a new sidewalk network and connections to the existing houses.

By filing the application, the development team is also hoping to further the goals of the county's 2019 Missing Middle Housing study and the current Thrive Montgomery planning effort, and get feedback from the Design Review Committee in order to refine the proposal for future missing middle projects.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a-missing-middle-pilot-project-proposed-in-maryland/18416