- Ann Thompson: How do we create more housing?

Not everybody can afford a single-family home or wants to live in a big apartment building.

They might want a duplex or a townhome.

Communities across the country are trying to build more of this, what's known as "missing middle" by changing zoning laws, including right here in Cincinnati.

We're here in Avondale today to see a new construction with a developer who specializes in this missing middle housing with Kiker development.

[Music] Ann: So, Kai, we're standing in front of your development.

How would you describe it?

Kai Lewars: Ah, man.

A long time coming.

I think this is a beautiful execution of what community development looks like working in, in partnership with Avondale Development Corporation.

You know, Ann: I found it interesting when you were describing how you got into this kind of development.

So you were looking for an investment.

Explain that.

Kai: Yeah, so honestly, my background's construction management and I just loved seeing people revitalize blighted properties.

And as a kid, I was involved in a, a area that was being developed and I just could always watch, I could never take part in it.

So this was a great opportunity where I actually started off volunteering with Avondale Development Corp, just trying to bring more affordable housing stock to the community, and it turned into one of our first largest new build construction projects.

[Music] Ann: And did Avondale Development Corporation see a need for this missing middle housing?

Kai: Oh, very much so.

This was a long time in the making, and there's definitely a need.

I would say this is phase one out of two phases.

Directly across the street, you'll see a vacant parcel where we'll be building in the near future.

And outside of just this block alone, there's several other development opportunities here in Avondale as well as a lot of the other neighborhoods where there's a need for urban infill to create this middle housing need.

You know, Ann: Because not everybody can afford a single family home.

Yeah.

That wants to live in a big apartment - Complex.

Ann: Exactly.

This is, you're able to kind of collaborate on economies of scale here and put these pieces together.

We're working on several attached townhome duplex projects going up to quads as well.

Ann: You, you face a lot of red tape, as you mentioned.

What kinds of things made it more difficult?

Kai: Oh yeah.

So one of the things is, in development, is understanding the process, right?

And you can come up with any idea, but if you don't submit to the process those who've come before you and laid the law of the land, relative to zoning and building code, then you're, you're gonna face a lot of red tape, right?

So what I mean by that is there's processes to go through relative to zoning variances.

One of those processes is coordinated site review.

So this connecting communities with this middle housing initiative will really help, you know, overcome many obstacles a lot of new developers or small developers face, because a lot of dollars and time is spent on the front end.

Coordinated site review is a great process.

It brings together a lot of the stakeholders from the city's building department.

But at the same time, it's one of those things where having these, the zoning updates would really cater to more opportunities like this, not only in Avondale, but in other communities as well.

Ann: Kai says that he's done many more complicated construction projects than this one, but the reason that this one is so meaningful to him is it involves home ownership.

He says, many of the people who have bought these units couldn't have otherwise afforded them.

And he says it's creating equity for them right away.

He looks forward to doing more of these projects.

I'm Ann Thompson for Brick by Brick.