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Opticos outlines 'missing middle' housing types and a scan for Carmel
Summary
Opticos principal Dan Perolich told the commission why duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts and ADUs can expand attainable housing while preserving house scale. Opticos will deliver a missing‑middle scan and 'test‑fit' visuals in 2–3 months to guide potential UDO changes.
Dan Perolich of Opticos Design presented a detailed case for "missing middle" housing to Carmel's Mayor's Advisory Commission on Housing, describing typologies, zoning levers and implementation strategies the city can use to increase attainable housing without sacrificing neighborhood character.
Perolich framed missing middle housing as house‑scale multiunit types — duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts and small multiplexes — that can broaden affordable choices while fitting into existing streetscapes. “Missing middle housing is about house scale buildings with multiple units,” he said, and urged Carmel to prioritize form and scale when drafting UDO changes.
Perolich and staff reviewed practical tools: regulating maximum building width along the street, rethinking lot‑size and setback requirements, limiting parking mandates (he suggested one off‑street space per unit as a maximum in some contexts), and using pre‑approved building plans and pro‑forma incentives that make fourplexes and sixplexes financially attractive to developers.
Examples and timeline: Perolich showed completed and in‑progress projects — cottage courts, fourplex communities and larger blended‑density sites in other cities — and said Opticos will produce a Carmel missing‑middle scan with test fits of real lots. Adrienne Keeling told commissioners the Opticos work should be ready within a couple of months and that the city will run pro‑forma analysis on test fits to check attainability.
Why it matters: Staff earlier reported that roughly 70% of Carmel’s housing stock is single‑family detached, which limits options for downsizing seniors, first‑time buyers and single‑person households. Perolich said increasing house‑scale multiunit choices can respond to demographic shifts and preserve walkability.
Next steps: Opticos will return with the scan and visual test fits; staff and commissioners discussed adding special meetings to review the deliverable and to inform any UDO amendments required by state law.
