Q&A with Will Johnston, Executive Director of MicroLife Institute
- David Melton
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 20
How did you find your way into housing and start MicroLife Institute?
My path wasn’t straightforward. I spent a decade in corporate America before realizing I wanted to do more than just make someone else money. At 33, I quit my job, sold everything, and backpacked through New Zealand for three months, working on vineyards along the way. When I returned, I owned nothing, and realized it was really nice.
That opened the door to the tiny house movement, which led me to housing advocacy, and eventually to starting MicroLife Institute. We grew into a nonprofit focused on small-scale, innovative housing. Ironically, not being an architect or planner helped. I could ask, “Why do we build this way? Does this really make sense?” That outsider perspective fueled our mission to reimagine housing.
What was the vision behind The Cottages on Vaughan?
Cottages on Vaughan in Clarkston was our pilot project, and it completely transformed MicroLife. It started when then-Mayor (now Commissioner) Ted Terry asked us to help rewrite Clarkston’s cottage court ordinance. After six months of work, he told me: “No one else is going to build this, you have to.” That moment pushed us from being just an advocacy nonprofit to stepping into the developer role.
The cottages themselves became a proof-of-concept. It wasn’t easy—banks weren’t ready to finance this kind of project, and then COVID hit—but we kept pushing. In the end, it won regional recognition from the Atlanta Regional Commission in 2021 for Innovative Development and the national Jack Kemp Affordable Housing Award for Excellence in 2022.
Since completion, over 10,000 people have toured the community. Some say, “This isn’t for me,” and that’s fine. What matters is that almost everyone adds, “But I’d love to see something like this in my neighborhood.” That’s the real victory: even if not everyone wants to live in a cottage court, they still see its value for housing choice in their community.
And the demand is undeniable—we had 1,500 people on our interested list for just 8 homes prior to breaking ground. That project proved there’s an appetite for smaller, community-oriented housing, and it launched MicroLife into our next chapter.
How does MicroLife approach development as a nonprofit?
We fully embraced the developer role and currently we have four projects ranging from cottage courts to apartment complexes. Each project is structured as its own LLC, with MicroLife as the nonprofit partner guiding the vision. That gives us flexibility: some projects might be market rate, but we’re still steering toward right-sized housing, density where it makes sense, and community design.
Being a nonprofit also helps us earn trust. Cities and residents see us as less threatening than a for-profit developer, and we can align projects with what people say they want in their comprehensive plans—walkability, housing choice, and city centers. Then we help them make it a reality rather than just another plan collecting dust.
My goal is to build a $5M revolving fund so we don’t have to rely on outside money with strings attached. Too often, funders say, “We’ll back you, but only if you add more parking.” Independence will allow us to hold the line on better design.
What role does MicroLife play in housing policy?
After rewriting Clarkston’s cottage court ordinance we were brought into DeKalb County’s process as well. We also helped Georgia adopt the Tiny House Appendix into the state building code. I’m invited to all these meetings and I’m not really sure what to say other than why aren’t we building smaller and allowing this to happen?
Our mission is housing diversity. Right now, 60% of American households are one or two people, yet what gets built are large single-family homes averaging around 2,500 square feet. That mismatch leaves millions of people without housing that fits their lives. Our work is about expanding typologies and making sure local codes allow housing that reflects real household needs.
What cultural barriers do you see to expanding housing typologies?
People are okay with change, just not in their own neighborhood. That “not here” mindset is a huge obstacle. We also design around cars instead of people. Cities need density, mixed-use centers, and third places where neighbors connect. Instead, we have garages facing the street, private backyards, and social media isolating us further.
And then there’s aging. Americans used to move every 7 years; now it’s 11 or 12. Boomers want to downsize but can’t because there’s nothing to downsize into so no one is moving. ADUs, cottage courts, and missing middle housing can provide those options while freeing up larger homes for new families.
Where do ADUs fit into the bigger housing picture?
ADUs are an important part of the solution. People come to me all the time saying, “I want to build an ADU,” and I point them to ATL ADU because you guys will walk them through the process. If someone insists on doing it themselves, I tell them, “Great, good luck, you’ll learn some lessons, ha!” The real barrier is financing. Most banks won’t lend directly on ADUs. If that changes, it could open up a whole new world of attainable housing.
And the biggest misconception is cost. People assume smaller means cheap—“I can do this for $70k.” The truth is closer to $270k. You’re still building a house, with the same systems and quality as a larger home. People also get caught up in price per square foot. They’ve got an $800,000 dollar house and the price per square foot was $150/sf - good for you. My 800 square foot house is $250,000 and my mortgage is a heck of a lot smaller. At the end of the day, what matters isn’t the ratio, it’s whether your monthly costs are affordable and your home fits your life.
How can people connect with MicroLife?
You can donate to our organization and come to our events! We host Wine About Housing and Cottages & Cocktails at the Cottages on Vaughan. They’re fun, social, and eye-opening. You’ll see these housing models firsthand, meet others passionate about the issue, and be part of the conversation about how to make them possible in more neighborhoods. Also, join our newsletter and follow us on social media!
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