Countywide Missing Middle Housing Scan + Deep Dive™

Opticos reviewed over thirty documents from the City and County, including Comprehensive Plans and master plans, to identify existing barriers and other limitations to building Missing Middle housing types. Opticos then reviewed the City and County zoning code to understand if and how key standards allow for Missing Middle housing types.

To help the coalition understand where to start, the Opticos team conducted analyses to identify existing walkable environments and the zoning districts that fall into those areas. This step directs users to a starting point in order to develop MMH types more quickly.  The Scan concludes with a summary of how existing policies and regulations encourage or discourage MMH, and when allowed, which MMH types fit into existing zoning districts.

With the barriers clearly identified, Impact Greenville decided to further examine the issues surrounding housing choice to understand how to identify actionable next steps. The Opticos team tested existing development standards for the zoning districts in walkable environments to compare what the zoning currently allows versus what it yields in actual number of units and building size. The testing followed two scenarios: 1) what is allowed by existing zoning, and 2) what fits the neighborhood.

Impact Greenville now has concrete policy- and zoning-related recommendations to apply to existing standards. With these recommendations in hand, the community can effectively engage in the housing discussion and proactively tackle challenges related to housing affordability and housing choice.