Ok, now THIS is a big deal. Chapel Hill is getting ready to make it hugely easier to build “missing middle” housing.
What is missing middle housing? It’s all the housing between single-family homes and big multi-family apartments like:
- Duplexes
- Triplexes, and
- Cottage apartments.
For years, like many other communities, most land in Chapel Hill has only allowed single-family detached homes, and nothing else. But that’s about to change. (Related: More housing on our larger lots)
Town staff has prepared a proposal to amend the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) to allow property owners to build all kinds of housing in many parts of the town without needing special permission. Duplexes! Triplexes! Fourplexes!
It removes density limitations, so if you have a big enough lot, you can build your single-family house, or you can build a three-family house!
This is a triplex in Durham.
This is a duplex in Charlotte:
The proposal removes density limitations, so if you have a big enough lot, you can build your single-family house, or you can build a three-family house.
We’ve just scratched the surface, so we’re sure we’ll find areas of improvement — which we plan to cover in the coming days. But this is a big first step towards creating an abundance of housing options in Chapel Hill, and we’re thrilled.