Chattanooga will allow multifamily buildings to be built with just one staircase, rather than two.
Council members voted Tuesday to take advantage of a state law passed last year that creates an exception to the International Building Code.
Council chair Jenny Hill of North Chattanooga introduced the measure in June.
“We’re looking at opportunities to build more what people would call ‘missing middle’ kind of structures,” she told council members at a June 17 meeting.
The missing middle typically refers to denser, smaller housing units — including smaller apartment buildings or cottage-style houses. They can add density while blending into the character of an existing neighborhood, Hill said.