In today’s unpredictable housing market—marked by rising interest rates, fluctuating demand, and volatile construction costs—developers need smart strategies that reduce risk while protecting returns. Build-to-rent (BTR) communities have become a go-to solution, but developers still face a key challenge: how to thoughtfully design a build-to-rent community without sacrificing density. The simplest solution? Integrating multiple housing types into a site.
A site with exclusively build-to-rent paired homes typically achieves 8 to 14 units per acre, depending on unit size and site constraints. But by layering in higher-density multifamily options, like garden apartments or townhomes, that density can possibly be doubled.
In Action
In the site plan below on the left, we originally designed the site to be a mix of two-story, BTR paired homes (gray buildings) and 3-story walk-up apartments (brown buildings). In the revised site plan on the right, we replaced the paired homes with 4- and 6-plex townhomes, which increased the density from 16 units per acre to 18.5 units per acre.
Beyond just a density advantage, offering a mix of housing types widens the renter pool and creates a natural move-up opportunity for residents who may start out in an apartment and eventually want more space, extending tenancy and reducing turnover.
Designing for Flexibility
When integrating different housing types into a single site, we’re often asked to design each type as its own independent community, so that our developer clients can sell each portion separately, if need be. That means treating each housing type as a stand-alone community with its own amenities, parking, and services.
Even when these communities function separately, we aim to maintain visual cohesion across the site. We utilize similar color palettes, materials and consistent roof forms to allow for cohesion and unity.
Why It Works
Mixed-density, build-to-rent communities offer numerous advantages for developers and residents alike. By combining different housing types, developers can achieve greater density without sacrificing design quality, create more architectural diversity within a cohesive community, and provide residents with a broader range of living options. This approach also enables longer rental lifecycles as residents can move from apartments to larger build-to-rent homes within the same community as their needs change. The result is a more vibrant, flexible, and economically viable development that responds to today’s housing market challenges.
Interested in learning more about ways we are helping our clients maximize their sites? We’d love to discuss. Call us at 303-832-4474.
