College Station City Council approves middle and shared housing use

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College Station residents will have more housing options with the city council’s recent approval of zoning for middle and shared housing, according to Matthew Ellis, a staff planner with the city’s planning and development organization.

“The intention of the middle housing zoning district is to allow flexible housing types that can range from your small-lot single family, up to a multiplex,” Ellis said Tuesday. “It allows a range by housing types by right, which are intended for single-family use and meant to allow that flexibility for developers so they don’t have to come in and rezone every single time they want to do a new housing type.

“This middle housing allows for fluctuations in the market. We also know that with the standards of middle housing, we created the ability for lots to go smaller and so that opens up homeownership opportunities. Smaller lots typically mean lower prices, and some of these are newer housing types we may not have seen in the city. They are really aimed at those that are attempting to find their starter house before they want to move out to one of our larger more family oriented subdivisions.”

Ellis said those looking to find their starter home includes young professionals who are graduating from college and want to stick around and not live in an apartment complex.

“It allows for more housing options and housing choice rather than being stuck between a big house in a single family subdivision or an apartment somewhere around the city,” he said.

During an Oct. 27 meeting, the council unanimously approved the zoning district that calls for options between single-family and multi-family by right, such as duplexes, townhouses, small and medium multiplexes, courtyard houses and small-lot, single-family developments.

The proposed district could help redirect development pressure out of existing single-family neighborhoods, encourage the housing types that the market demands in strategic locations, and allow and incentivize developers to create more housing choices across the community, according to city staff.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, Jessica Williams of the Texas A&M University Student Government Association, said middle housing is beneficial for students looking for a middle ground on housing options.

“This is something that we have seen a lot of excitement from students, the idea that having a place that recognizes our housing needs are different and that will eliminate a lot of anxiety for the large number of students currently living above the number of four unrelated [persons],” Williams said. “It is a really neat way to take parts of our community and make them a space for students, to promote that walkability, that coherency that closeness to campus, to give us a sense of community, a sense of belonging, and a place to be. … I am really grateful for all of the cities work in this and I am hopeful you all will include student voices as we try and figure out where these new middle housing areas will go, because it is not always immediately obvious where students live and where students value living.”

Similarly, during an Oct. 14 meeting, the council approved the use of shared housing, where the city can specify the zoning districts that will allow the use.

Previously the council directed city staff to address the increasing number of residential properties redeveloping into “stealth dorms” or “Ag Shacks” in existing neighborhoods that are not usually compatible with other single-family residential uses.

“The structures are typically designed to contain more than four bedrooms, have a similar bedroom-to-bathroom ratio, and have a large parking area with more than four spaces, among other characteristics,” city staff related. “They are often designed to exceed occupancy levels of more than one family — in violation of the city’s definition of family — and the no more than four unrelated persons’ provision. To regulate those uses, city staff must first define the use in the UDO. Historically, the ‘stealth dorms’ have been interpreted as single-family dwellings, limiting the city’s ability to regulate where they can be located. The lack of a separate definition has allowed these types of uses in many existing single-family neighborhoods.”

Staff said the city can regulate where those uses are appropriate, including for the middle housing zoning district. The middle housing district will provide an appropriate place for shared housing uses while encouraging the flexible mix of housing options the market demands, according to city staff.

For more information about middle housing, contact Ellis at mellis@cstx.gov or 764-3570.

For more information about shared housing, contact Michael Ostrowski, director of planning and development at mostrowski@cstx.gov or 764-3570.