Decatur Missing Middle Housing

600 Commerce Drive

In 2023, the Decatur City Commission amended its zoning to allow up to four units by-right in single-family neighborhoods—creating an opportunity to test missing middle housing in a real-world setting.

In partnership with the City, MicroLife Institute led a series of community engagement efforts at 600 Commerce Drive, including design charrettes, site walks, and neighborhood tours. The process resulted in a community-supported concept: a 4-plex designed to resemble a large home, paired with a small ADU—bringing five households to the site.

As the project advanced, a key challenge emerged: with over $1 million in public investment, the limited unit count made the cost per home too high to be an efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Rather than move forward with a constrained model, the City re-engaged MicroLife to refine the approach.

Today, the focus is on increasing density in a way that still fits the neighborhood—exploring cottage courts, row homes, and other missing middle types that improve affordability, reduce per-unit subsidy, and create a model that can be replicated across Decatur.

  • 1. Missing Middle Housing Safari

    MicroLife led interested residents on a “safari” to see missing middle homes in their natural habitat along Drexel Ave.. in Decatur. Illustrating how gentle density can weave into a community often without notice.

  • 2. Design Charrette

    MicroLife led residents on a design charrette where teams of community members each proposed their own design solution for the lot and presented them to the group.

  • 3. Community Site Visit

    MicroLife and Decatur’s Mayor met with local residents on site to discuss their wants, needs, and concerns to address as part of the ultimate design solution.

  • 4. Design Presentation

    MicroLife coalesced the community design ideas into a final concept proposal to present to the community for comment.

  • 5. Redesign Meeting

    On March 31,2026 the City of Decatur and MicroLife Institute presented four new design concepts for 600 Commerce Drive and gathered community feedback on density, design, and neighborhood fit.

The Original Concept

New Design Concepts

Building on the original community-supported vision, MicroLife Institute returned with a new set of design concepts that expand both affordability and impact.

Rather than a single 4-plex solution, the updated approach explores four distinct site configurations—each designed to increase the number of homes while maintaining compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.

These concepts include:

  • Cottage Row: A cluster of small, detached homes arranged around shared green space, preserving a neighborhood-scale feel while gently increasing density.

  • Sawtooth Row Houses: A more compact, urban approach that introduces up to nine attached homes with integrated parking, maximizing efficiency on the site.

  • Diverse Mix: A hybrid of cottages and row homes, offering a range of housing types and price points to serve a broader mix of residents.

  • Duplex Row: A series of paired homes that balance increased density with a familiar residential form.

Across all options, the designs prioritize thoughtful site planning—preserving trees, addressing stormwater on-site, and organizing parking in a way that minimizes visual impact. Each concept is also designed to feel consistent with Decatur’s character, ensuring that added density enhances rather than disrupts the neighborhood.

By increasing the number of units from four to as many as nine, these scenarios significantly improve affordability outcomes and reduce the per-unit public subsidy—transforming the project from a one-off demonstration into a scalable model for the city’s future.

The City of Decatur is now evaluating these concepts in partnership with the Decatur Land Trust and other stakeholders, with the goal of advancing a model that delivers both community fit and long-term affordability.

Next Steps

On March 31, the City of Decatur and MicroLife Institute hosted a community meeting to gather feedback on four new design concepts for 600 Commerce Drive. Residents shared valuable input on how to balance increased density with neighborhood character and livability.

Over the next 1–2 months, MicroLife will refine these ideas into a combined site plan that reflects community feedback and project goals. The updated concept will be presented during an upcoming Zoom meeting.

If you’d like to be part of that conversation, please send us feedback and contact us below.

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