Unlocking the Missing Middle: Legal Reforms and Other Solutions to Expand Housing Options in Massachusetts

Missing middle housing (buildings larger than single-family homes and smaller than mid-rise apartment buildings) is increasingly viewed by policymakers, advocates, architects, planners, and developers as one possible solution to the affordable housing crisis. However, zoning regulations, development review processes, complicated financing structures, and other obstacles have made it difficult, if not impossible, to build missing middle housing not only Massachusetts but around the country.

Amy Love Tomasso, Director of Policy Innovation at Ivory Innovations and a graduate research assistant at JCHS, will discuss her series of working papers, which examine the current landscape for middle housing in Massachusetts, policy approaches drawn from around the country, and strategies beyond policy that could help expand the supply of missing middle housing.

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