> “We’re talking about building communities—not just types of housing, but communities.”
On June 10, Arlington residents and community leaders joined AHS for the 2021 Leckey Forum, a virtual conversation about overcoming barriers to implementing Missing Middle Housing in the County. The discussion was framed by opening remarks from Samia Byrd, Arlington’s Chief Race and Equity Officer, who emphasized the need to approach Missing Middle Housing from an equity mindset. “Will our focus on Missing Middle Housing respond to our housing needs in a way that makes it attainable to those who have been denied access for more than a century through legislation policy and practice because of their race?” she asked.
Keynote speaker Daniel Parolek, co-founder of Opticos Design and the author of Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today’s Housing Crisis, followed Byrd’s comments by acknowledging the history of systemic racism at the root of U.S. planning, housing, and zoning policies. He recommended the book The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein for those who want to learn more.
Daniel Parolek
> “We need to differentiate and talk about the form and scale and where each type should be allowed. It’s not a one-size-fits-all.”
Parolek focused his presentation on the top five mistakes localities are making when implementing Missing Middle Housing. In his remarks, he emphasized that thoughtful form and scale must be an important part of the conversation, and he acknowledged that Missing Middle Housing is one tool in the toolbox for increasing housing diversity. While the scale of most Missing Middle Housing is what Parolek describes as “house scale,” meaning it can be indistinguishable from typical detached single-family homes, he also introduced the concept of the Upper Missing Middle, which can be slightly larger. “We need to differentiate and talk about the form and scale and where each type should be allowed. It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” he said.
Another key theme in Parolek’s presentation was the concept of “attainability.” While many conversations around the cost of housing refer to “affordable housing,” Parolek likes to use “attainable” to describe the potential for naturally lower price points that can be achieved by Missing Middle Housing. “Missing Middle Housing types are actually being used in projects that are being subsidized and delivered as “capital A” affordable. Missing Middle can play that role, but it’s also able to be delivered at as affordable by design to middle-income households.”
After his presentation, Parolek was joined by local housing experts Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center and Eric Maribojoc of the George Mason University Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship. They contributed their insights and experiences in an in-depth discussion moderated by Ginger Brown of the Lee Highway Alliance.
Clockwise from top left: Daniel Parolek, Ginger Brown, Eric Maribojoc, and Emily Hamilton
> “When seniors vacate their large home, it allows people to trade up into those homes, and eventually, the filtering process reaches the more affordable homes where those owners can also trade up.”
Weighing in on the issue of walkability, Hamilton said, “The estimate is that over the next 10 years we’ll need 320,000 new houses to accommodate new people moving to this area. The overwhelming preference is to have those near activity centers.”
Noting that walkability is a core part of the Missing Middle Housing definition, Parolek said, “I think more people are choosing to live either car-light or car-free lifestyles. Even if 5-10% of the housing we’re providing is car-free, there is absolutely a demand for that percentage. A walkable neighborhood may not provide everything that people need, but even if you could reduce 1-2 car trips per week per household, it starts to make a big difference.”
The panel also discussed Missing Middle Housing as a tool to address the current housing supply shortage in the region and a means to help seniors age in place.
“We have a rapidly aging population, and it’s also the biggest market segment need for Missing Middle Housing,” said Parolek. He encouraged participants to review the AARP’s Livability Index for more information.
Addressing the issue of supply, Maribojoc commented that building Missing Middle Housing for baby boomers creates a ripple effect that helps free up housing at different price points. “When seniors vacate their large home, it allows people to trade up into those homes, and eventually, the filtering process reaches the more affordable homes where those owners can also trade up,” he said.
> “It’s really important for us to engage with the community members in the places that we’re working in and listen to everybody that’s going to be impacted by the efforts we’re leading and participating in.”
The panelists also touched on other topics of concern to Arlington residents, including stormwater and impermeable surface areas, retail accessibility in transit corridors, and the limits of inclusionary zoning to deliver enough affordable or attainable housing options.
Closing out the discussion, the panelists shared their thoughts on how Missing Middle Housing advocates and implementers can center their planning decisions around equity.
“There is some really creative thinking and work and effort that can be done with Missing Middle and its role of helping bridge the gap and address some of these racist policies in housing and zoning that we’ve had in our country for over a century,” said Maribojoc. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve built less smaller homes, less condos, and less townhomes … those are the forms that first-time homebuyers typically use to build that wealth through homeownership. The lack of smaller units, which Missing Middle can help deliver—particularly for purchase—is really doing a disservice to people who are just starting out. This predominantly impacts brown and black populations.”
Returning to Samia Byrd’s opening remarks, Parolek emphasized that “It’s really important for us to engage with the community members in the places that we’re working in and listen to everybody that’s going to be impacted by the efforts we’re leading and participating in.”
The 2021 Leckey Forum closed with remarks by Arlington County board member Takis Karantonis, who remarked that growth is not optional—it is a result of economic development, job creation, and investment.
Takis Karantonis
> “We have really good reasons to be studying all tools that promise to deliver the appropriate level of housing supply—to deliver choices for a diverse demand.”
“At the same time, we want to make sure that growth really works for all, otherwise it will be unsustainable,” he said. “That all Arlingtonians can enjoy the benefits of growth and not only few. We want to harness growth to create better, more equitable communities that offer housing choices to all.”
Karantonis noted that Arlington’s ongoing Missing Middle Housing Study is designed to make the community more resilient and capable of absorbing and managing adverse impacts related to the climate crisis, such as decades of neglected issues like stormwater management.
“We have really good reasons to be studying all tools that promise to deliver the appropriate level of housing supply—to deliver choices for a diverse demand,” he said.
In closing, Karantonis reminded everyone that at its heart, Missing Middle Housing is about people. “We are really in the process of building communities back and making them equitable, affordable, and attainable to everybody and connecting them properly so that everybody can thrive. And we leave nobody behind. How we are building good neighbors—this is really critical.”
Watch the Recording of the 2021 Leckey Forum
Resources
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The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
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Race and Housing in Arlington (Video)