AARP Backs Missing Middle Housing Act

AARP Nebraska has announced support for a bill to help increase housing options for state residents.

LB794, the Missing Middle Housing Act introduced by Sen. Matt Hansen, amends zoning ordinances to allow for the development of “middle housing” such as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters and townhouses.

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Suzan DeCamp, an AARP Nebraska volunteer spokesperson, told the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee that LB 794 encourages the creation of diverse housing types to meet the needs and preferences of the nation’s changing demographics.

Adults living alone now account for nearly 30 percent of American households. And while only 20 percent of today’s households are nuclear families, DeCamp said, the housing market largely remains fixated on their needs. By 2035, older adults are projected to outnumber children for the first time.

“It is critical that communities address their range of needs now. People of all ages want to live in walkable communities close to transit, jobs and amenities, but housing costs preclude many working families and seniors from being able to do so,” she said.

DeCamp recommended that “accessory dwelling units” be added as a housing type in LB794. These are smaller, self-contained, secondary housing units that exist on the same property lot as a single-family primary residence, such as an unattached garage, cottage or studio. Such types of housing units make it possible for homeowners to age in place in their own home with live-in care or provide adjacent housing for their aging parents, adult children or other family members or friends.