Featured Projects
Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Tempe, Arizona
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Bungalows On The Lake at Prairie Queen: A Missing Middle Neighborhood
Papillion, NE
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Downtown Davis Specific Plan + Form-Based Code
Davis, CA
Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Seaside Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida
Cincinnati Citywide Form-Based Code and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Framework
Cincinnati, Ohio
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Downtown Davis Specific Plan + Form-Based Code
Davis, CA
Cincinnati Citywide Form-Based Code and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Framework
Cincinnati, Ohio
Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Tempe, Arizona
Bungalows On The Lake at Prairie Queen: A Missing Middle Neighborhood
Papillion, NE
Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Seaside Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida

Missing Middle Housing
Walkable, attainable communities people love to call home
Opticos principal Daniel Parolek inspired a new movement for housing choice in 2010 when he introduced the concept of the “missing middle” in American housing. Today, Opticos creates innovative architectural designs to help build walkable communities with unique, diverse housing choices that are attainable for all.

Zoning codes for
people-centered places
Opticos is a world leader in zoning reform for walkable, sustainable communities. We didn’t create form-based coding, but we’ve been trailblazers in the field for more than 20 years. We are experts in understanding how the form of buildings will shape community spaces, and we can simplify the process of introducing form-based codes with a predictable build-out.
Recent Awards
PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Multi-Family Housing Community - under 17 du/acre
Papillion, Nebraska
FBCI Form-Based Code Award
Multi-jurisdictional Objective Design + Development Standards
Marin County, California

Latest From Opticos
On the boardsWhat we're working on
ADU Guidance Policies & Prototype Test Fits
Yuba City, California
Objective Design Standards Administrative Draft Finalized
Citrus Heights, California
10 Acre Infill Master Plan and Architecture
Florence, Alabama
Objective Design & Development Standards, Six Site Visualizations
Sausalito, California

Micro Units and Courtyard Housing: Are They Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate?
I wanted to share a short summary of an infill housing project we are working on that I am excited about. I feel that this can serve as a great model that can inform other projects focused on including smaller units, or micro units, as a tool to deliver attainability, but without compromising on livability. Maybe this is something you have been considering? Based on what we are seeing with costs of housing and the desire to live in walkable urban locations, I feel this type of micro unit housing could be viable in most markets, even in smaller towns.

Bringing Middle Housing to Washington Cities and Towns
Opticos Design recently produced a Toolkit for the State of Washington to help bring more Middle Housing to cities and towns as part of their “Planning for Housing” initiative

Design Thinking | Marin County Objective Design Standards Shared Zoning Toolkit
The Marin County Objective Design Standards Toolkit resulted from a multijurisdictional collaborative effort to address State law requirements and facilitate ministerial approvals for housing projects. This article was originally published in the American Planning Association, California Chapter – Northern Section newsletter authored by Stefan Pellegrini, AICP, Opticos Design Principal and Jillian Zeiger, AICP, Senior Planner at the County of Marin.