Research on Financing and Other Non-Zoning Barriers to Increasing Missing Middle Housing Supply

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This NOFO announces the availability of up to $500,000 to fund research on financing and other non-zoning barriers to constructing Missing Middle Housing (MMH). Increasing the housing supply is key to overcoming the housing affordability crisis in the United States. MMH is housing that ranges in size from Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to duplexes, townhomes, and small-scale apartment buildings. MMH may be an effective tool to increase the supply of both market and affordable housing. However, it comprises only a small segment of the total housing stock. MMH development involves different characteristics and processes compared to other more common housing types. This makes it challenging to build MMH to scale. More research is needed to understand the prevalence and impact of financing and other non-zoning barriers to MMH construction. Research funded under this NOFO is intended to help HUD, state and local governments, and private stakeholders by achieving the following NOFO Study Objectives:Identify significant financing and other non-zoning barriers to producing MMH. This includes the ways these barriers prohibit producing MMH and the effect of these barriers on producing new housing units.Locate successful strategies at the federal, state, and local levels to overcome identified barriers. These might include, but are not limited to, financing solutions, policy levers, and technical assistance.Recommend strategies that are feasible, cost-effective, evidence-based, and may increase MMH supply. Proposed strategies should be relevant across a range of housing market conditions and jurisdiction types.Awards made under this NOFO will be cooperative agreements and, therefore, the awardee shall anticipate substantial involvement, as defined in Section III.A, by subject matter experts from the office of Policy Development & Research (PD&R).This NOFO is intended to fund proposals to research financing and other non-zoning barriers to increasing MMH supply. Applications requesting funding for construction projects are ineligible and will not be considered.