Hiding in Plain Sight: Build-to-Rent and Multigenerational Housing

---

Suburban and exurban communities are at the epicenter of the U.S. housing crisis. While many planners and housing advocates have emphasized the importance of removing barriers to missing middle housing to expand the housing supply, the demand for small multifamily housing in suburban and exurban areas, where greenfield development is more prominent, may be insufficient to make much of a difference. In these areas, more subtle mixed-residential development options that prioritize housing variety by intentionally masking the appearance of residential units through building or site design may be necessary.

Two such options, build-to-rent and multigenerational housing are rapidly gaining traction, and often hiding in plain sight, in suburban and exurban communities across the U.S. Both of these emerging housing types typically show up in master planned developments that appear to be conventional single-family subdivisions at first glance. So far, though, relatively few cities, towns, and counties have updated their zoning regulations to make it easier to develop build-to-rent or multigenerational housing by right.

This issue of Zoning Practice explores how development regulations affect opportunities for build-to-rent and multigenerational housing development. It begins with a summary of suburban housing supply challenges before examining the key features of and potential zoning approaches for two emerging types of subtle mixed-residential development.

---

Details