The Small Scale Development Workshop on small scale real estate development is all about project formation. We take a big picture view of neighborhood-based development to help attendees analyze what makes a good project, how a building makes money, and how small developers interact with the broader ecosystem of professionals in the built environment.
ABOUT THE FACULTY
JENIFER ACOSTA, ACOSTA REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT, Midland, MI
Jenifer Acosta is a community developer recognized for revitalizing historic buildings and catalyzing economic development across the Great Lakes Bay Region since 2016. As Lead Consultant for Housing Forward, Midland, she provides data-driven strategies for attainable housing. Believing solutions emerge from local people leveraging local resources, she prioritizes projects balancing community connection, environmental impact, and fiscal responsibility. Her award-winning work reflects her commitment to preserving underutilized spaces while creating thriving communities.
NEIL HELLER, NEIGHBORHOOD WORKSHOP, Portland, OR
Neil is a national award-winning urban planner and designer specializing in aligning municipal regulations with community development goals through real estate pro-forma analysis. He combines expertise in design, housing policy, and development to create user-focused solutions and equitable housing policies. As a small landlord managing 2-4 unit buildings and longtime Portland housing advocate, he brings practical experience to regulatory reform. Neil was recently featured in Sightline for his work providing financial justification for increasing housing units on single-dwelling lots owned by nonprofits.
Event times are presented in Eastern Time.
Virtual Workshop Dates:
Tuesday, April 21: 6P - 8P EDT
Thursday, April 23: 6P - 8P EDT
Tuesday, April 28: 6P - 8P EDT
Thursday, April 30: 6P - 8P EDT
REGISTRATION
Regular Registration Rate ($200) - open through April 10, 2026
Last Minute Registration Rate ($300) - open through April 21, 2026
Members receive a 20% discount for this workshop! See the IncDev Membership portal for details. Not a Member yet? Join today. More details are available here.
COURSE OVERVIEW
You can find a course overview and more information about our workshops and who should attend here.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
Session 1: Tuesday, April 21
Power of the Incremental Approach | Incrementalism is best paired with time. By rooting in a neighborhood, building relationships and making many small improvements over time, a small developer can build wealth in their community.
Business Models and Skill Sets | What kind of projects are you interested doing? How will that be structured? What skills do you have and whose help do you need?
Right-Sizing Your Project | By evaluating zoning, financing tools, and building codes, a project can conform to systemic thresholds that control costs and minimize risk.
Session 2: Thursday, April 23
Building Arts 101 | A small developer who understands architecture, urban design and planning fundamentals can create more value with their project while contributing to the health, safety, and welfare of their community.
Market Research & Site Selection | Finding the right site or building as the critical first step to any development project. Understand how to establish a baseline range for the rents, sales and other variables in your neighborhood and pay the right price for property.
Zoning | Understand the key regulatory basics that shape a project’s physical form and the typical processes that govern what is allowed by-right versus with special permission.
Session 3: Tuesday, April 28
Project Pro formas | Get familiar with a financial pro forma template and the important concepts, key terms, and industry jargon that show how a building makes money.
Hands-on Site Planning and Pro forma Activity | Apply everything learned so far in the day to layout a building on a site by following a sample zoning code and then filling out a project pro forma to see how the project performs financially under many conditions.
Session 4: Thursday, April 30
Hands-on Site Planning and Pro Forma Activity (continued)
Financing a Project | A great project needs a great plan for obtaining permanent mortgages and construction/renovation loans. To get there, a small developer will need a written financial package and a verbal pitch to present to a bank and/or private investor.
Buying a Property | A basic overview of the process for purchasing property and the elements of the crucially important due diligence process.
Wrap-Up | Q&A and Next Steps
Contact
For more information contact training@incrementaldevelopment.org · (479) 305-4807