The basics:
- NJ faces 84,000-unit affordable housing need by 2035
- Mid-rise apartments balance density with community concerns
- Architects stress design sensitivity to gain local support
- Case studies show success in Princeton, Camden and Dover
This article is the second in a planned three-part series – the first, “Missing-Middle Solutions for Achieving State-Mandated Affordable Housing Requirements,” was published May 20, 2025. Look for the final installment, “Site-Selection for Creative Housing Solutions” to follow soon.
Municipalities across New Jersey currently face Fair Housing Act Fourth-Round obligations totaling more than 84,000 units statewide. Developing and building this number of units by 2035 will require an “all of the above” strategy that combines new single-family homes with mid-rise apartment buildings – defined as being between five-to-12 stories or over 75 contiguous residential units – plus everything in between.
As discussed in Part 1 of this series, architects addressing housing development opportunities in the missing middle are helping create the kinds of communities many say they want: affordable, sustainable, walkable, and diverse with primarily house-scale development. Of course, there are sites and contexts in many municipalities where mid-rise apartment buildings are both feasible and the most effective solution. And yet, challenges and impediments remain, tasking architects to partner with developers and state and local agencies to identify workable paths.
