Building a Homegrown Future: Reflections from StartUP Gary’s Small Developer Gathering

On November 17, 2022, StartUP Gary Community Development Corporation convened a powerful community conversation at Indiana University Northwest. It was an early step in shaping a resident-led movement for small-scale real estate development in Gary, Indiana. The workshop brought together neighbors, aspiring developers, seasoned investors, and civic-minded problem-solvers who share a common belief: Gary’s revitalization must be driven by the people who call it home.

The workshop featured faculty from the Incremental Development Alliance (IncDev), whose national work in small-scale development helped frame what’s possible when local residents are equipped with the right tools, training, and support. What unfolded was a snapshot of Gary’s emerging developer ecosystem and a clear signal that the appetite for hands-on, community-rooted development is strong.

IncDev speakers included:

• Ali Quinlan, Fayetteville, Arkansas. She is an architect, landscape architect, and incremental developer who served on the Planning Commission in Fayetteville.

• Dan Zach, Fresno, California. He is a planner and consultant who spent 23 years in local government rewriting and administering zoning codes.

• Mike Keen, South Bend, Indiana. Mike is a retired university professor who became an "accidental developer" and is now a leading figure in the incremental neighborhood revitalization of South Bend, Indiana.

A video of the workshop can be viewed here.

More than 250 people registered, and approximately 135 participated live and via videoconferencing. Attendees described themselves in ways that reflected both their personal identities and their aspirations for the city: investors, visionaries, community advocates, small business owners, disruptors, housing providers, teachers, and new developers eager to learn. Many saw themselves as helpers, leaders, and change-makers ready to roll up their sleeves and take part in rebuilding their neighborhoods.

Participants brought a wide range of expertise, from property management and project planning to mortgage knowledge, Airbnb investing, and financial advising. Others came with time, energy, and a desire to learn. Together, they represented a cross-section of Gary’s talent, people with lived experience, professional skills, and a shared commitment to quality housing and community stability.

When asked where they hoped to “farm” or focus their development efforts, attendees named neighborhoods across the city: Downtown Gary, Midtown, Glen Park, Emerson, Horace Mann, Aetna, Tarrytown, University Park, and more. Some identified specific blocks or intersections. Others simply said “anywhere,” signaling a readiness to invest wherever the need is greatest.

The topics that drew the most interest reflected both the challenges and opportunities of small-scale development: financing, zoning, vacant lot redevelopment, team-building, ADUs, tax liens, acquisition, preconstruction, and access to capital. Participants also expressed a desire for collaboration, networking, and practical guidance on everything from flipping homes to developing senior housing.

Perhaps most inspiring was the shared vision for the kind of community people want to help build. Attendees described a Gary that is empowered, diverse, vibrant, self-sustaining, and rooted in Black culture and collective progress. They imagined a city known for its comeback story—safe, stable, regenerative, and full of people who care. A place where generational wealth is possible and where revitalization is not something done to residents, but with them.

The event confirmed what StartUP Gary has long believed: there is tremendous local interest in becoming part of Gary’s redevelopment story. Every respondent indicated they were likely to enroll in future developer workshops, and many expressed interest in helping shape guiding principles for this work.

This gathering was just the beginning. It laid the foundation for a multi-year effort to train, support, and activate a network of small developers who will help transform vacant properties into vibrant homes, businesses, and community assets. As StartUP Gary continues to build out this ecosystem, the energy from that November evening remains a reminder of what’s possible when residents lead the way.

There is much more to come: more training, more collaboration, and more opportunities to shape Gary’s homegrown future together.