The Hidden Middle: How Houston’s New Housing Code Could Reshape Homeownership

In cities across the country, housing is either too dense—or too spread out. Houston, a city long defined by its lack of zoning and its abundance of townhomes, is taking a new approach. At the recent Building Belonging Unlocking Missing Middle panel hosted by the Third Ward Real Estate Council, developers, planners, and builders gathered to dissect the city's Livable Places ordinance and what it means for affordability, access, and ownership.

The conversation focused on “missing middle housing”—the range of housing types between single-family homes and large apartment complexes. Think triplexes, fourplexes, courtyard clusters. These were once common, but regulations pushed them out of the market. Now, Houston is clearing the path for them again.

“This ordinance is a game changer,” said Garland Harris of Missing Middle Design Co. “It’s the first time in a long time we can actually build something other than townhomes and duplexes.”

But the panel didn’t just celebrate policy. It tackled hurdles: lack of access to financing, knowledge gaps in small-scale development, a dwindling trade workforce, and the challenge of cultural acceptance among buyers and builders alike. Still, the message was clear—this ordinance is only as powerful as the ecosystem around it.

As Jason T. Hyman, principal planner and host of the conference, put it: “We can’t rely on zoning alone. We need education, capital, and community coordination.”

With rising land costs and a housing market increasingly out of reach for many, Houston’s missing middle may hold the key not just to affordability—but to belonging.