Getting Your Legislative Reforms Enacted: How to take your reforms and get them enacted as pieces of state or local legislation.
You're not in building and development to deal with HOAs. But with small scale residential development, it's likely to be a legally required and critical part of organizing, selling, and getting out of your project.
HOA obligations are a small piece that can cause big headaches for developers. The Developer Services team at MicroHOA will guide you through what you need to know about your obligations to form, manage, and transition an HOA to homeowners.
Small Bites is a virtual training series delivering relevant and valuable tools on the implementation of small-scale development. Led by our diverse faculty, they’ll offer expertise drawn from real-life experiences. These one-hour “bite size” sessions are for people of all skill levels, from small-scale developers and local advocates, to policymakers. An opportunity to ask questions is included at the end of each session.
Time advertised is Central Time.
Ivy Vann spent four days in Raleigh, NC for the national YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard) conference where all the talk is about how to get more housing in everybody's backyard or at least their neighborhood. She'll talk about the origins of the YIMBY movement and its significant overlaps with incrementalism; why you might want to get involved; and how to find out more about your local YIMBYs.
Ivy is a planner and designer with extensive experience in town planning across New Hampshire and nationally. She specializes in charrettes, code review, master planning, and public engagement, certified by both the American Planning Association and Congress for the New Urbanism. A 42-year New Hampshire resident who served over a dozen years on her town's planning board, she's faculty at Incremental Development Alliance. As a small developer herself—converting her home into multi-family units and managing a 14-unit project—she understands zoning must align with economic viability.
REGISTRATION
Small Bites sessions are a complimentary benefit for IncDev members.
Non-members can register for each session for $25 per ticket.
Recordings will be sent to those who register following the session. This event will be held in Central Time. Details will be sent to attendees upon registration.
For any questions, message us at training@incrementaldevelopment.org.
Small Bites is a virtual training series delivering relevant and valuable tools on the implementation of small-scale development. Led by our diverse faculty, they’ll offer expertise drawn from real-life experiences. These one-hour “bite size” sessions are for people of all skill levels, from small-scale developers and local advocates, to policymakers. An opportunity to ask questions is included at the end of each session.
Time advertised is Central Time.
Most developers don’t lose deals because the numbers didn’t work. They lose them because they found out too late. A setback nobody checked, a parking minimum buried in an overlay, a lot that looked buildable on the listing but wasn’t. Meanwhile, the best sites in town often never hit the market: the underused parking lot, the oversized backyard, or the corner parcel that just got upzoned.
The result is that small developers buy what is available instead of what is possible.
In this session, Mason McIntosh and Mark Savic of Bucky will walk through a repeatable method for answering the first question on every project, “what should I build here?”, in minutes instead of weeks. Drawing on more than 100 feasibility studies across 10+ cities in USA and Canada, they’ll show how to pull together the public information that matters (parcel data, zoning, overlays, recent approvals) and turn it into a clear yes, no, or maybe before you spend money on design or an offer.
You’ll leave with a simple framework you can apply with the right tools, and you’ll see how AI can speed up the work without replacing your judgment, as long as every answer traces back to a source.
In this session Mason and Mark will cover:
Why the first two weeks of a project decide most of its risk
Find the public data that actually answers “what can I build?” and “what should I build?”
A five-step site screen: ground the site, frame the objective, test the envelope, check the pathway, decide
Reading zoning for what it allows, not just what it says: overlays, parking, and recent reforms
Finding off-market infill: parking lots, underused parcels, and newly upzoned land
Using AI responsibly: how to check sources and avoid confident wrong answers
Live walk-through: screening a real small-scale site from address to decision
Mark Savic is the Co-founder and CTO of Bucky, where he is building modern planning tools that help Canadian building professionals. Before Bucky, Mark was a Senior Consultant and Solution Architect, advising across Private Equity, Healthcare, all levels of government, and financial institutions. His work spanned complex system integrations, product development, and technology due diligence across industries and across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. At Bucky, Mark leads product architecture and engineering. He focuses on turning institutional-grade technology into tools that are simple, trustworthy, and necessary, especially in an AEC industry that is fragmented, opaque, and hard to navigate. His goal is to ensure every feature combines rigorous system design with a clear, human experience.
Mason's is the Co-founder and CEO of Bucky, experience is in designing and delivering multi-scale construction projects across Canada, with deep expertise in Revit, BIM, computational design, and AI. His past work was focused on implementing automation, process optimization, and sustainable building workflows, for enterprise clients around the world. At Bucky, Mason leads sales, partnerships, and go-to-market, working directly with designers, builders, real estate agents, brokers, and municipalities to understand their workflows and build the automations they need. He brings 10+ years of AEC industry experience to every conversation, ensuring that every step of the platform is grounded in how real projects actually get done.
REGISTRATION
Small Bites sessions are a complimentary membership benefit for members.
Non-members can register for each session for $25 per ticket.
Recordings will be sent to those who register following the session. This event will be held in Central Time. Details will be sent to attendees upon registration.
For any questions, message us at training@incrementaldevelopment.org.
Join Executive Director of IncDev, Alli Thurmond Quinlan, for a special presentation on the fundamentals of incremental development, what it is, why it matters and how it can help your community.
Small Bites is a virtual training series delivering relevant and valuable tools on the implementation of small-scale development. Led by our diverse faculty, they’ll offer expertise drawn from real-life experiences. These one-hour “bite size” sessions are for people of all skill levels, from small-scale developers and local advocates, to policymakers. An opportunity to ask questions is included at the end of each session.
Time advertised is Central Time.
America's housing crisis isn't one-size-fits-all—and the growing population of older adults faces unique challenges that demand thoughtful, multi-faceted solutions. From aging in place to downsizing options, communities nationwide are reimagining how to create housing that serves people across their entire lifespan.
Join us for an in-depth look at AARP's comprehensive national housing agenda and the innovative policy approaches gaining traction across the country. We'll explore how accessory dwelling units, missing middle housing, transit-oriented development, and universal design principles are converging to expand housing choices for older adults—and creating more inclusive communities for everyone.
This session combines big-picture strategy with practical implementation tools, including the latest survey data on housing preferences, emerging state and local legislative trends, and proven model ordinances you can adapt for your community.
Key Topics
AARP's national housing priorities and their real-world applications
How ADUs, missing middle, and TOD address aging population needs
Universal design principles that benefit residents of all ages
Model ordinances and legislative approaches proven to increase housing options
Current trends in state and local housing policy
This webinar is essential for developers, planners, policymakers, and housing advocates working to create communities where residents can thrive at every stage of life.
Samar Jha is a director with AARP Government Affairs, where he specializes in state and local housing and livability policy.
REGISTRATION
Small Bites sessions are a complimentary membership benefit for members.
Non-members can register for each session for $25 per ticket.
Recordings will be sent to those who register following the session. This event will be held in Central Time. Details will be sent to attendees upon registration.
For any questions, message us at training@incrementaldevelopment.org.
You're not in building and development to deal with HOAs. But with small scale residential development, it's likely to be a legally required and critical part of organizing, selling, and getting out of your project.
HOA obligations are a small piece that can cause big headaches for developers. The Developer Services team at MicroHOA will guide you through what you need to know about your obligations to form, manage, and transition an HOA to homeowners.
Historic properties are some of the most charming and well-performing projects, but they come with challenges. Understanding the different levels of historic preservation and incentives can be difficult, especially when assessing a potential project. In this talk we’ll cover the basics of historic preservation at each level including local, state, and federal regulations and what they mean to a project.
Gridics makes complex zoning data transparent and actionable at scale. This session covers PropZone (51M+ parcels), our patented zoning engine for detailed calculations, and sample custom reports. We'll demo search workflows and discuss how Gridics can support site selection, zoning intelligence, and parcel-level data needs.
In this session, Marques will present what actually defines a true starter home, and why we need more of them today, covering the core traits that set them apart, from traditional singles and duplexes to the multi-generational variations common in the early 20th century. The session breaks down why these housing types worked and what's been lost today. You will leave with a clearer picture of the true starter home, and a stronger case for bringing them back.
Southern Urbanism founder Aaron Lubeck is one of the designers and builders leading congregational training of 20 selected churches this year through the Faith-Based Housing Initiative (faith-housing.org). He will walk through why these projects matter, and why faith housing is the most unprecedented opportunity in American townbuilding ever.
ACUs are small, affordable commercial spaces built into residential projects. They fill an incremental gap that neither traditional retail nor home occupation rules were designed to address. You will learn what distinguishes ACUs from mixed-use zoning and how a handful of cities have now written code that actually enables them.
Finding the right site is only half the battle—knowing how to plan it well makes all the difference. In this session, Elizabeth Ward Williams walks through real project examples of residential infill development on sites ranging from 1 to 10 acres, designed in a cottage court fashion that prioritizes walkability, community, and character.
Raising capital can feel intimidating—especially when self-doubt, fear of rejection, lack of connections, or uncertainty about where to start begin to take over. In this powerful 60 -minute session, Bruzenskey Bois breaks down the mindset shifts, strategies, and real-world experiences that helped him navigate the challenges of asking for funding, building investor relationships, and confidently pitching opportunities.
Housing is complicated. Demographics are changing. infrastructure is expensive both at the scale of the lot and also at the scale of the town. Zoning is a treacherous swamp to navigate. If that’s not hard enough, building codes make it even hard to traverse these challenges.
This session will help you understand how project incentives and grants actually work in real deals. You will learn how common public and philanthropic funding sources function, what problems they are designed to solve, and why they add complexity to projects. The session breaks down key mechanisms, typical requirements, and the stakeholders involved, from funders to local governments to lenders.
The Abundance Elected Network launched in 2025 following the release of the book "Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and has rapidly grown to include 150+ mayors, council members, county supervisors, and commissioners from 32 states.
In this session, discover what connects these local leaders and how they're applying abundance principles to foster incremental development in their communities. Learn about the network's core philosophies, real-world implementation strategies, and opportunities to collaborate with this growing movement of officials who are rethinking how cities and towns can grow sustainably and equitably.
Christopher Alexander's pattern language is more admired than applied — until now. Architect Ross Chapin draws from his experience designing pocket neighborhoods to show how patterns become practical design moves, from street layout to the layers of personal space that make people feel at home. See how pattern language shapes real site plans.
Residential segregation wasn't an accident — it was built by deliberate, unconstitutional government policy, and we have a responsibility to undo it. Drawing from Just Action, Leah Rothstein will explain how we got here and share concrete strategies for challenging segregation at the local level through housing policy, development practices, and community advocacy.
Join us with author Mike Hathorne, as he discusses what his book “The Great Housing Reversal” uncovers about America’s housing future. We’ll explore the largest demographic shift in housing since WWII, changing where people want to live and how value is created and what the next generation wants: smaller homes, walkable neighborhoods, and real connection, while sprawl leaves cities with unsustainable costs.
Join us for a conversation on building durable comprehensive plans that survive political change. Norman's AIM 2045 demonstrates how community-identified principles—walkability, housing diversity, green space—create legitimacy and shared decision-making frameworks. Learn how principles-first planning transforms engagement into governance and keeps implementation on track.
Historic places carry more than bricks and mortar — they hold stories, cultural memory, and the potential to inspire new economic growth. Yet, too often, these spaces are undervalued or overlooked in favor of new construction. This session reframes historic redevelopment as both a financial and cultural investment. By combining entrepreneurial insight with community-centered storytelling, developers, investors, and stakeholders can unlock new value in old spaces while honoring the legacy of those who came before.
Sometimes finding viable development sites requires thinking back to traditional people-centric methods that AI cannot perform. This interactive session explores creative approaches to site identification that go beyond listings, broker packages, and AI services. Learn how to utilize people, technology, and curiosity to discover hidden opportunities before they hit the market.
Join us to learn how to scale affordable urban homeownership with Frolic Community's innovative co-op model. Proven in Seattle and now expanding to California, this approach leverages cooperative ownership structures to make homeownership accessible through reduced down payments and developer-homeowner partnerships from day one.
Presented by Josh Morrison, COO and Co-Founder of Frolic Community, this virtual session will cover co-op economics in action, the collaborative development approach, and pathways to launch your first community-centered infill project.
Developers can build the kind of housing Americans actually want— walkable, connected neighborhoods that improve quality of life and strengthen local economies. Yet decades of U.S. policy and zoning have made these places nearly impossible to deliver, leaving enormous unmet demand on the table.
Culdesac has spent the last seven years proving that building mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods in the United States is a scalable model that delivers what residents and cities actually want. This Small Bites session will offer a practical, actionable look at how Culdesac did it, and how your city or development project can, too.
Join us for an in-depth look at AARP's comprehensive national housing agenda and the innovative policy approaches gaining traction across the country. We'll explore how accessory dwelling units, missing middle housing, transit-oriented development, and universal design principles are converging to expand housing choices for older adults—and creating more inclusive communities for everyone.
Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to enhance your financial acumen and drive success in real estate development. Jenifer Acosta will guide you through practical exercises, highlighting key concepts such as income estimation, expense optimization, and deciphering the financial story a pro forma tells. This session is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to translate your project's financial goals to investors effectively.
This session is about exploring unconventional development opportunities through the Faith-Based Housing Initiative, a groundbreaking program that connects developers with faith leaders to transform underutilized church properties into much-needed housing.
This session walks through the practical steps to explain how simple code repairs interact with your existing built environment. Spoiler: just because you change the code to allow a thing doesn't mean that thing is going to spring up everywhere!
Our most beloved cities were built incrementally—house by house, block by block. Today, regulatory barriers too often block the small-scale development our communities need. For over 30 years, the Institute for Justice (IJ) has fought at the intersection of litigation, legislation, and grassroots organizing to restore the freedom to build and grow organically.
Rich Rogers explores how investment crowdfunding fills critical gaps in real estate capital stacks. Through practical examples, learn how both for-profit and nonprofit developers structure offerings to fund challenging project phases—from predevelopment to tax credit monetization—while reducing costs compared to traditional financing.
Krista Nightengale will share how Better Block transforms neighborhoods through tactical urbanism, not massive budgets. She will demonstrate how temporary interventions—paint, planters, pop-up installations—help communities and officials envision vibrant public spaces, building momentum for lasting change through grassroots collaboration.
What makes a block, a street, or a plaza feel timeless, vibrant, and enduring? Great places share universal building blocks that have shaped successful communities for centuries. This session introduces incremental developers to essential elements of urbanism, helping translate conceptual design ideas into actionable strategies that enhance both community and financial value.
Jim Heid will discuss his award-winning Cottage Court project, achieved through thought partnership, not rezoning. He will explain how community context helped him enlist elected officials, planning and public works staff as collaborators in creating what the community wanted, not what code dictated.
Created for real-world use and rooted in patterns that already exist in Maine towns, the Maine’s PlaceCode Library offers a calibrated approach to zoning reform. Ivy will share how communities are applying this tool, what challenges it helps solve, and how practitioners can get trained to use it effectively.
Your project looks finanicially promising. So how will it repay investors, and when? How long before you can liberate your equity to take on a new project? This session will help you make sense of the Multi-Year Cash Flow, a common tool for forecasting how your project will perform over time.
