Missing Middle Housing Opportunity Overlay (MMHOP)
MMHOP is another version of the Transportation Supported Development Overlay proposal that was paused earlier this year. This version (version 7) changes zoning to allow:
70% lot coverage with no requirement for open space (i.e. yards)
40’ height limits to the mid point of the roof (not the peak, which can be higher) in most residential neighborhoods in the overlay zone. Select R-1 neighborhoods are limited to 30’.
5’ setbacks (and 0’ along common lot lines) on all sides. That’s a change from the current 20’ (front), 10’ in rear and 10’ for tall buildings along the sides.
Multiple primary uses allowed on lots (including commercial uses)
Elimination of Height Transitions (meaning a 40’ building can be build right next to a single story home, without standard step-down height rules)
Do we like this proposal? No, unequivocally. This is policy with the right intent and the wrong content.
The stated goal of the proposal is to reduce “burdensome” zoning rules that increase building costs; however, this actually may result in larger and more expensive single family homes being built in neighborhoods that traditionally have homes with smaller footprints (think Airport Heights, Rogers Park, Spenard, Nunaka Valley, North Star, etc.). Why? When zoning changes allow new uses, land value and cost increases, which means that builders are incentivized to build the most profitable type of housing using the maximum available land. Recent Anchorage homes sales indicate that the only type of housing that is currently being profitably built is very high-end homes. So get ready for a large and expensive home next door (and right up against your fence).
Could this proposal be improved? Yes, but it would take a drastic overwrite. Here’s what we’d recommend:
Return to the lot coverage, height limits, and setbacks to their currently zoned limits. Our current neighborhood zones already allow for growth, but within dimensions that aren’t going to make people stop and stare. The only exemptions should be for 8+ unit homes, and those must still meet subdivision lot size standards. Duplexes and triplexes (already allowed in most zones) can be build, but should not significantly alter the existing neighborhood housing dimensions.
Ensure that open space and parking are requirements for multi-family homes. Green space is important for building community–yards and front porches are where we meet our neighbors. It’s also unrealistic to think that we’ll give up cars in Anchorage; removing driveways adds cars to the street, which makes it harder to plow, pick up trash, and creates unsafe streets for children.
Why limit it to the TSDO neighborhoods? This isn’t about bus routes anymore and there are lots of other neighborhoods with more space. Tall homes can be built without blocking sunlight or creating snow slide issues on large lots across South Anchorage–why not allow multiple homes per lot in those areas?