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Douglasville housing study urges more 'missing middle' homes; city advances MDR cottage zoning
Summary
Douglasville's housing study, conducted with Matrix Group, recommends more housing variety rather than simply more units; city officials have drafted a medium-density residential (MDR) zoning classification with cottage design standards (lots ~4,000 sq ft; houses 800–1,200 sq ft).
Dana Gray summarized a city housing study conducted with the Matrix Group that analyzed demographics and housing stock and included community engagement. Gray said the study identifies gaps in housing type and concludes the city needs a wider variety of homes—"smaller units" such as cottages, ADUs and guest homes—to retain residents at different life stages rather than only producing larger homes.
Gray said the city has drafted a new medium-density residential (MDR) zoning classification to address the 'missing middle' and provided specific design standards to maintain quality and downtown compatibility: a smaller-lot minimum on the order of 4,000 square feet and house sizes with a minimum of about 800 square feet and a maximum near 1,200 square feet, plus porch and material requirements. "A smaller lot minimum of 4,000 square foot... minimum, which starts at 800 square foot, maximum 1,200," Gray said. He also reported population growth figures used in planning: "we started at 19,000. To date, we're at 40,000," and that projections put Douglasville near 70,000 by 2045, figures the city will use to guide infrastructure and developer outreach.
