Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
O: 734-669-6631
C: 248-863-7539
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2023
Volume II of Pattern Book Homes expands flexible designs, with barrier-free and Universal Design options, as requested by communities.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have produced a second volume of Pattern Book Homes for 21st Century Michigan. Volume II, The Missing Middle Mixtape, is available now.
The Missing Middle Mixtape is a continuation of Volume I, This Used to Be Normal: Pattern Book Homes for 21st Century Michigan. Melissa Milton-Pung, Program Manager with the Michigan Municipal League, said, “Volume II was created on the League’s drive to provide more housing options to Michigan. The League has spent the last year talking with communities about Volume I, about the concept of pattern book homes, and how to update zoning and regulation to allow these types on construction. Several communities around the state have taken inspiration and the ideation from Volume I and created their own construction plans. We know the proof of concept is there, and Volume II is meant to provide additional construction plans that respond to the missing middle housing so desperately needed.”
The Missing Middle Mixtape is focused on smaller urban lots and builds upon the original two sets of construction documents from Volume I to provide four additional copyright-free construction documents. The expanded portfolio of Pattern Book Homes construction plans now includes an up-down two-family home, a fourplex, an above-the-garage accessory dwelling unit, a barrier free small-scale cottage, a side-by-side rowhome, and an up-down duplex.
Pattern book homes are meant for infill development and can be integrated into larger site plans or built on single lots as the missing stitch in the neighborhood fabric. These guides define missing middle type housing as the housing options between detached single-family homes and midrise apartment buildings.
The new construction plans offer differing finish options to promote stylistic variation and choice; have optional Universal Design elements to make ground floor units barrier-free; and many models have been designed for increased efficiency in both speed of construction and energy usage. Volume II also gives an overview of current energy efficiency measures and potential lenders or other financing programs to assist in implementing the recommended housing concepts.
The Missing Middle Mixtape is an addition to the League’s resources for helping Michigan fulfill the housing needs of its communities. These plans are not the only solution to current housing needs, but they are a viable option for more small-scale, energy-efficient homes. From Volumes I and II to the recently launched State of Michigan Housing Data Portal, the League is committed to working with state partners in the pursuit of delivering housing solutions for Michigan residents.
For additional information, contact Jessica Weirauch, Director of Marketing and Communications, at [email protected] and (248) 863-7539.
Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.
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