Report: 80% of DC-Area Residents Support Missing Middle Housing in Residential Neighborhoods

• April 11th 2022

by UrbanTurf Staff

✉️ Want to forward this article? Click here.

There is overwhelming support to add missing middle housing to residential neighborhoods in the DC region, at least according to a new report released on Monday. 

The term “missing middle” describes the dearth of housing types — somewhere between single-family homes and mid-rise multi-family buildings — that would accommodate the needs of a large swath of the middle class.

The Zillow report, which surveyed 12,000 adults across 27 metro areas, found that 80% of respondents in the DC region were in favor of allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes and triplexes in residential neighborhoods. 70 percent of respondents in the region believe that allowing these types of homes in residential areas would have a positive impact on the availability of more affordable housing options. 

While the survey indicates support for missing middle housing in the region, local reporting paints a different picture. DCist's Ally Schweitzer recently wrote about the strong push against adding new housing types to traditionally single-family home neighborhoods in Montgomery County. There has also been growing neighborhood opposition to a plan to add density along an upper stretch of Connecticut Avenue NW in DC. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/report-80-of-dc-area-residents-support-missing-middle-housing-in-residentia/19507.