Tony Perez, a national expert on “missing middle housing” and form-based zoning, is the keynote speaker at this year’s Affordable Housing Week symposium, which will be held April 20 and is sponsored by Polk County Housing Trust Fund.

Perez is a senior associate at Berkeley, Calif.-based Opticos Design Inc., which coined the term “missing middle housing.” The concept promotes providing more housing choices in neighborhoods and communities.

The symposium will also include a panel discussion that will be moderated by Eric Burmeister, Polk County Housing Trust Fund’s executive director. Panelists include:

• Renee Hardman, West Des Moines City Council member.
• Luke Muhlenhoff, vice president of construction lending at West Bank.
• Anne Russett, senior planner, city of Iowa City.
• Kris Saddoris, vice president of development, Hubbell Realty Co.
• Chris Shires, principal at Confluence Landscape Architecture, Planning + Urban Design.

The symposium will be held from 8 to 11:30 a.m. April 20 at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive in Des Moines. For more information or to register for the free event, click here.