Building Our ‘Missing Middle’
Over the next few years you might hear the term ‘missing middle’ used to describe a type of housing we’re trying to encourage more of here. It has earned that name because, well, it doesn’t really exist in very many places in Edmonton.
Missing Middle housing is a term used to describe multi-family housing that is classified somewhere in the ‘middle’ of single family housing and high rise towers. You’d know it better as row housing, stacked row housing, low rise apartments and courtyard housing. While some of it is being built in Edmonton, nearly 88% of building applications for missing middle housing required a variance – which means our existing rules are proving cumbersome to work with.
If we’re going to be serious about planning Edmonton for a million people, and a metro region headed toward two million, we need more ‘missing middle’ housing to help manage our growth.
Through the Evolving Infill public engagement, a consistent theme was the desire for infill to be clustered around our existing nodes and corridors where transit connections are strong and there is a good base of community-scale retail. These areas are likely the best places for us to focus our zoning changes to build more medium density housing. And in these zoning changes, we’ll have to look at reducing the barriers to building this type of housing, including examining onerous height and parking restrictions. City staff are currently analyzing policy options, tools and approaches to encourage more of this type of development – their recommendations should come back in the Spring of 2018.
Housing affordability is a major issue right across the country, and Edmonton is no different. As many as 66% of Edmontonians can’t afford to purchase an average-priced home without additional financial support and a 10% deposit. Building more mid-density housing means building more affordable housing for families, closer to the core. We rank far behind other Canadian cities in our housing diversity – meaning we build a lot more single family homes and less medium and high density homes than most other cities.
As the fastest growing, youngest city in the country, we’re going to need to target our infill efforts on the ‘missing middle’ to keep Edmonton vibrant and competitive.
I like this idea and see a lot of growth of these type of apartments around the perimeter of Edmonton such as Windermere, Ellerslie Road along 111 Street southbound, eastbound in Millwoods and south. I also think it’s important to rezone older areas such as the row housing on the east side of Southgate Shopping Mall that could easily host a whole new set of buildings and high rises; along Kingsway Garden Mall to attract a college crowd and help facilitate NAIT; and focusing on the north side of the city as well near Londonderry and other areas where a SKY TRAIN can bring people closer together. The corridor downtown along 104th Avenue has handsomely changed for the better. Staying close to shopping malls that already exist would be helpful. Adding more Seniors Apartments closer to shopping malls and not on the outskirts of town where they really can’t walk to a mall close by; keeping our Seniors active and letting them walk to shopping only helps along the way.
Whatever happened to the development along Heritage Mall south of Southgate? That seemed to be a startup project but soon fizzled and died out, yet other areas continue to build.
If missing middle housing is designed to house families with young children, not just single people or couples without children, it would be wonderful. Lots of young families want to downsize, live a more walkable lifestyle and reduce their footprint. However, it is very hard to find multifamily dwellings that have more than two bedrooms, or have the square footage reasonable for a family. If there was more European style, thoughtful planning, it would attract families and help prevent urban sprawl.
Don, you’re dreaming. That’s a great story but it’s not reality. Not even close. You allow developers to buy $400k homes, and develop duplexes in the $750k to $950k range per side. That’s what’s real. There are 6 to 8 of these projects in my neighborhiid at the moment, right near the downtown coer. NONE of them are “affordable”. You need to get out into your city more, and look around. Too many lobbying developers to ever see this “vision” come true.
You’re so out of touch with Edmonton. You’re trying infill in my neighbourhood. We don’t want it. When I bought my house I couldn’t afford a house either what makes you think young people are so special now I was young to. My neighbourhood is beautiful the way it is. Not like slum like you want it to be. Where do you live.Put it by your house. How about working on things that are important like reducing our taxes that might help young and with down payment for their new home and for old people stay in there homes. We don’t need fancy bridges or elevators in the river valley or give billionaires millions of dollars to build a hockey arena.That going to a hockey game with your kids costs weekly salary. And do we really need to be a sanctuary city. We pay the police department not you if they’re here illegally they need to be dealt with.It’s not your job to ignore laws Stop social engineering. Get your priorities straight
Love this concept, but wondering about price point and number of bedrooms in units. We live in Allendale, and as with our neighbouring communities, we see a lot of our houses being torn down and replaced with houses that are beyond the affordability of young middle class people, who then must go to the suburbs. How can quality missing middle housing be built to attract these families into the mature neighbourhoods, where later, if they want, they could transition to a semi detached or detached home as their finances allow. Also, would be nice to have more seniors options so as those in detached homes can no longer manage them, there are options within their own communities. Why about missing middle housing that is mixed use, lower floors for seniors and upper floors for families, or the other way around, so people can transition in and around their own neighbourhoods.
I would like to see starter homes built instead of these massive brown homes. How can young families afford those?
If your going to pile homes closer and over each other you MUST make sure there is parking 2 per household. There are some areas where it is tense finding a parking space. These folks will have visitors too.
Don’t say take the bus. Who in their right mind wants to carry $400. groceries with their 2-4 kids on the bus? Who wants to then walk with those same groceries 3-4 blocks from the bus stop to their home. Have you tried to bus your kids to soccer or hockey using the bus? Unrealistic.
I’m in an infill neighbourhood where the number of new homes is staggering and they are all very expensive. The issue I’m constantly reminded of as I pass these new homes, is what happened to the concept of universal design and increasing accessible housing in Edmonton?