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Cottage Development Design Inspirations

Find the inspiration behind the designs. Or maybe get inspired to design your own cottage.

AARP Technical Assistance from Opticos Design

In Summer 2026, AARP provided a Technical Assistance Program grant to the City of Albuquerque. The Planning Department worked with Opticos Design to come up with sample site plans and building types for a cottage development on the East Side and West Side of Albuquerque.

These sample designs illustrate how cottage development can fit into a single-family neighborhood and provide a housing option for people that may be more affordable than a typical single-family home and better suited for single-person households or people looking to age-in-place.

The City was particularly excited to work with Opticos Design following the IDO update in 2025 that allowed cottage development citywide in all zone districts that allow single-family housing. One of the founders of Opticos, Dan Parolek, coined the term "Missing Middle Housing" and created the famous graphic that the City adapted for Housing Now. 

An illustration of "Missing Middle" housing options between single-family and large apartment complexes. Commonly built before zoning prohibited them, these include casitas, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, and cottage courts. They offer more affordable, diverse housing choices that still fit the scale of lower-density neighborhoods. The graphic is adapted from Opticos Design, Inc., which coined the term "Missing Middle" housing.

East Side Example

  • Sample Site Plan [pending]
  • Sample Building Types [pending]

West Side Example

  • Sample Site Plan [pending]
  • Sample Building Types [pending]