Skip to main content

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

West Side Example

Other Examples

Acequia Jardin

Acequia Jardin was developed before the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO) was adopted. While it does not necessarily conform to all the IDO regulations for cottage development, it is a useful example of a cottage style development.  Acequia Jardin is a “senior-focused community” on a one-acre lot on Rio Grande Boulevard next to the former La Montañita Co-op. The co-housing development was the brain child of Marianne Dickinson and Pamela Heater, designed by Garrett Smith. There are 10 dwelling units on the site, all owner-occupied, and the units range between 800 and 900 square feet. The majority of the units share a wall (i.e., duplexes by IDO definitions). Acequia Jardin also has shared living amenities, including a shared garden, guest casita, and community room, which are maintained through a monthly homeownership association fee.

Griegos Farms

Griegos Farms was designed under the IDO regulations. The project is actually 8 cottage developments, each on approximately 1 acre, which was allowed at the time (reduced to a 6-acre maximum in a later IDO update). The development includes 90 detached cottages, all rental, and the units range between 655 and 1,070 square feet. Griegos Farms has shared living amenities, including a shared garden, fitness room, shared indoor and outdoor kitchen, event spaces, and outdoor gathering spaces.