Building Small, Thinking Big: Lessons from the Alameda County Small-Scale Development Workshop

On March 7, a group of aspiring developers and other changemakers gathered in Fremont for the Alameda County Small-Scale Development Workshop. Hosted by Build It Green in partnership with StopWaste and led by the Incremental Development Alliance (IncDev), this full-day session was a practical workshop about how to build real housing in real neighborhoods, one small project at a time.

Everyone in the room understood the stakes—California’s housing crisis is growing, and large-scale development alone won’t solve it. But the question remained: How to actually start?

Stepping Up to Build for Your Own Community

“If you want to see housing built, you have to do it yourself,” said Alli Thurmond Quinlan, Acting Director of the Incremental Development Alliance (IncDev). It was a message that resonated with the room. Many attendees weren’t career developers—they were community members who had seen opportunities for housing in their own neighborhoods but didn’t know how to bring those ideas to life.

This workshop was part of the Alameda County Small Development Incubator, a program that Build It Green is designing and coordinating to support the growth of small-scale development and give independent developers the tools and knowledge they need to build affordable, small-scale housing. By focusing on townhomes, ADUs, small-plexes, and rehabilitations, the program aims to create more housing choices while addressing the climate impact of new development through decarbonized infill projects.

At its core, this work is central to Build It Green’s mission and values. It supports equitable housing that is accessible to a wide cross-section of Californians. Additionally, the program builds the capabilities of those engaged to be more than just builders of homes. It enables them to see how their work can nurture their communities, the people with whom they share their communities, and natural systems.

Making Housing Work: Keeping It Simple and Buildable

One of the first lessons of the day was that good development isn’t just about vision—it’s about practicality.

A small miscalculation in design can turn into thousands of dollars in extra costs. A plumbing line placed on the wrong side of a building can double installation expenses. A window that’s an unusual size can lead to delays and costly mistakes during framing.

“Nothing kills me more than a house that’s 18 feet, 9 inches wide—because that means buying an entire extra sheet of drywall for 9 inches of extra space,” Quinlan said “That’s just wasted money.”

For those new to development, it was an eye-opening moment. Building small doesn’t mean thinking small—it means thinking smart. Keeping layouts simple, using standard material dimensions, and designing for ease of construction can make the difference between a successful project and one that never gets off the ground.

Zoning and Finance: Learning to Work the System

As the workshop shifted gears, the discussion turned to how zoning and finance are deeply intertwined.

For many in the room, zoning laws had always felt like a barrier—something that blocked their ideas before they could even begin. But the workshop flipped that narrative.

“The word that stands out to me is ‘levers.’ Everything in zoning and finance is interconnected—change one thing, and it affects everything else,” one attendee from the nonprofit sector observed.

Laws put in place at the state level in recent years mean the landscape is changing in favor of small-scale development. Sites that were once off-limits for multi-unit housing are now open for creative solutions.

One property owner shared their experience of trying to build in Oakland decades ago:

“We wanted to build behind our Oakland properties 20 years ago, but zoning wouldn’t allow it. Now, things have changed—and that opens the door to making those projects real.”

But zoning alone isn’t enough. Without financing, even the most perfectly zoned project can stall before it begins. The workshop introduced attendees to paper development—a strategy in which a project is entitled and then sold before construction even begins. For new developers, this can reduce risk and provide an entry point into the industry.

And then there was the reality of working with city agencies. The Small Developer Incubator is designed not just for developers, but also for municipal staff, city planners, and economic development professionals, so that local governments can better support small-scale projects instead of unintentionally standing in their way.

“We need to modernize permitting and approvals so small projects can actually get built,” said Neil Heller, of the Incremental Development Alliance. “Without it, we’re just leaving housing opportunities on the table.”

The Case for Building Smaller, Not Bigger

A common misconception among attendees was that bigger projects make more financial sense. But the workshop made a compelling argument for right-sized development.

One developer, who had originally been planning a large, ground-up project, had a shift in perspective:

“I was thinking about ground-up development, but now I’m looking at buying a property, demolishing an old house, and building something small and manageable instead.”

The reality is that 1-4 unit developments often make the most sense—they’re easier to finance, fit within existing neighborhoods, and don’t trigger the same level of community resistance as larger projects.

This incremental approach isn’t just about getting housing built—it’s about creating housing that blends into the fabric of a community rather than feeling like an outside force imposed on a neighborhood.

More Than a Workshop—A Network of Doers

As the day wrapped up, it was clear that the workshop wasn’t just about learning—it was about connecting.

“I already have a coffee meeting set up next week with someone I met today,” one nonprofit attendee shared.

Another participant was already scouting potential collaborators for a unique community project:

‘We’re trying to save a historic train station in West Oakland. I came here looking for developers who aren’t scared of a project like that—and I found some.”

For small-scale development to succeed, it requires more than just financial feasibility—it requires relationships. Finding the right builders, lenders, and city staff to navigate approvals can mean the difference between a project that stays on paper and one that actually gets built.

What’s Next?

The Alameda County Small Developer Incubator is just getting started.

This workshop was the first of many opportunities for training, mentorship, and networking designed to support local developers in creating community-driven housing solutions.

At the end of the day, the best time to build housing was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.