Throughout 2025, the Detroit City Council has debated proposals from the city’s chief operating officer aimed at increasing housing and mixed-use developments. While approximately 1,600 new housing units are built in Detroit annually, city officials estimate that this falls short of meeting demand by 1,100 units each year. One aspect of the proposal is to encourage the construction of “missing middle” housing by allowing by-right development of triplexes and quadplexes in residential areas currently zoned for single-family homes. Additionally, the proposal includes policies that loosen or streamline regulations that include simplifying the process for developing vacant lots, relaxing parking minimums, and increasing the number of units that can be approved after only a public hearing from eight to 12. Finally, it would allow housing and mixed-use development in zones that previously only allowed commercial, which would allow for more adaptive reuse projects. Read the citywide briefing on the proposal, “Let’s Build More Housing, Detroit".

Although the City Planning Commission sought approval for this proposal by November, the City Council chose to postpone any decision until the newly elected council reconvenes next year. Still, the focus on housing both in Detroit and nationwide indicates that housing policy will remain a prominent topic in 2026. Last month, Mary Sheffield was elected as the city’s next mayor. Her campaign promised a mayoralty focused on making housing more affordable. However, she has not made her position explicit on many of the technical policy details proposed through “Let’s Build More Housing, Detroit.” As new leadership takes over in January, NAIOP must participate in these important policy discussions that impact mixed-use and other commercial developers.