Conservation Corner: How 'Missing Middle Housing' could help Spartanburg manage growth
Driving through Spartanburg, it’s not uncommon to pass working farms and pristine woodlands one day, only to see the same parcels clear-cut the next day. This phenomenon has become all too familiar in Spartanburg – a county in which only 3 percent of the land is protected as green space. Although the notion that Spartanburg is growing rapidly is not new, conversations around managing growth often overlook one critical factor: housing.
As residential development encroaches into rural areas, zoning reforms are needed to prevent unchecked sprawl and build more livable communities. Missing Middle Housing (MMH) is one strategy that could help to guide and shape growth to enhance the character of rural, suburban, and urban places like Spartanburg.
“Missing Middle Housing” (or MMH) is a term coined by Opticos Design founder Daniel Parolek to describe a range of housing types that match the look, feel, and scale of single-detached homes, yet include two or more homes (think duplex, tri-plex, mansion apartment, or cottage court). MMH exists in the “middle” of the housing-density spectrum, between single-detached homes and high-rise apartments.
MMH works best in walkable neighborhoods close to amenities like grocery stores, shops, and restaurants, where some daily trips can be made without a personal vehicle (reducing the amount of space needed for parking).
MMH is deemed “missing” because it hasn’t been built in substantial numbers since World War II. Following World War II, the nation’s population and prosperity increased significantly. Though the average household size decreased, demand for single-detached homes increased. Government incentive programs encouraged single-detached home purchases, and zoning regulations often began prohibiting the building of any home type other than single-detached.
As suburbs materialized across the country, an increasing reliance on cars – bolstered by the building of the interstate highway system post World War II – led to development spreading out across the landscape. An unfortunate byproduct of these misguided policies is that suburban sprawl has become the lay of the land in America, consuming a tremendous amount of forests and farmlands in the process.
How exactly does MMH support efforts to manage growth wisely and conserve land? The simplest answer is that MMH provides a modest but meaningful density increase in neighborhoods within and near city centers, and in mixed-use, walkable areas of outlying suburbs, thus housing more residents in these areas and decreasing the amount of prime land swallowed up by low-density residential development.
Even modest increases in density where infrastructure exists (or is thoughtfully planned for future needs) make it easier and more cost-effective for local governments to provide critical services and maintain infrastructure (such as roads, sewer, water, trash collection, and public safety). In doing so, local governments can manage growth in a more sustainable and fiscally responsible way.
Additionally, by virtue of its comparatively small footprint, MMH is more affordable by design.
As Spartanburg continues to grow, zoning-code reforms to accommodate more diverse housing options will be required to meet the needs of all community residents. Housing choice will remain particularly important for aging residents, households without children, and low- to moderate-income households.
So what are some common zoning reforms to encourage MMH? In mixed-use, walkable urban and suburban areas, local governments can eliminate minimum lot-size requirements, reduce excessive off-street parking requirements, and lower barriers to construction for small-lot, infill development. Such simple changes to land development and zoning regulations can enable MMH, to increase and diversify housing options, while limiting sprawl into rural areas.
Spartanburg County will soon be rolling out its Performance Zoning Ordinance (PZO) countywide. Greer is in the midst of updating its Unified Development Ordinance. The City of Spartanburg will also begin updating its zoning code following the adoption of its comprehensive plan.
These necessary zoning updates provide a critical opportunity to shape and direct growth in the city and county.
In the coming months, it is crucial that residents express their priorities to their elected representatives on Spartanburg County and/or City Council. Whether you care about conservation and/or housing, the right zoning is needed to balance growth with other community priorities as Spartanburg grapples with explosive growth.
Allie Martinsen is land policy manager at Upstate Forever.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Conservation Corner: Explosive growth calls for Missing Middle Housing
