Real Estate Development

Practicing Missing Middle

Starting in the early 1990s, CNE’s real estate development efforts focused on creating a diverse portfolio of building types that seamlessly integrated into the traditional neighborhood scale. These building types spanned the spectrum from single-family detached dwellings to small-footprint apartment buildings, with small-scale apartment buildings (ranging from two to sixteen units) being a particular focus. During the 1990s and early 2000s, CNE successfully developed over a thousand for-sale and rental units using this typology. This typology is now enjoying a revival as “Missing Middle” housing across the rest of the county.

CNE’s revitalization efforts often involve small-scale urban infill lots, which are prevalent in Chattanooga’s urban core. Missing Middle buildings are the perfect solution for these lots, as they allow neighborhoods to add density to multi-family buildings without significantly altering the neighborhood’s character. However, the challenges arise from local zoning restrictions, which often categorize smaller multi-family units in the same way as large commercial multi-family buildings, leading to additional costs due to commercial building codes.