IncDev's Small Developer Boot Camp

The Incremental Development Alliance’s 4‑week boot camp is designed to take participants from curious to capable, equipping them with the technical, financial, and strategic skills needed to build small but meaningful projects in their own communities. Workshops are held each Monday; office hours, which allows for the practical application of workshop learning are held on Wednesdays. Each day builds on the last, moving from foundational concepts to hands-on feasibility and real-world implementation.

Week 1 — Becoming a Small Developer: Foundations, Finance & Mindset

Week 1 sets the stage by helping participants understand what small-scale development is and what it isn’t. The focus is on building confidence, learning the language of development, and understanding the financial tools that make projects possible.

Key Topics:

• What small-scale development looks like in practice

• The role of small developers in neighborhood revitalization

• Understanding residential vs. commercial financing

• FHA, VA, and conventional loan pathways

• How lenders evaluate risk

• Entity formation (LLCs, holding companies, liability protection)

• How to build your “development muscle” through low-risk starter projects

• Why appraisals, comps, and cash markets matter — especially in legacy cities like Gary

What Participants Walk Away With

A clear understanding of how development works, how to structure themselves legally and financially, and how to begin thinking like a developer rather than a homeowner or investor.

Week 2 — Zoning, Codes & What You Can Build

Week 2 is all about zoning, the invisible architecture that determines what’s possible on any piece of land. Participants learn how to read zoning codes, interpret constraints, and identify opportunities.

Key Topics:

• How to read a zoning code like a developer

• Understanding permitted uses, conditional uses, setbacks, FAR, height limits, and parking

• Building envelope exercises: turning zoning rules into a physical building

• How zoning affects feasibility, density, and design

• Navigating outdated or restrictive zoning (a major issue in Gary)

• When to pursue variances, special-use permits, or rezoning

• How to work with planning staff and zoning officials

• Identifying parcels that are “quietly” more flexible than they appear

What Participants Walk Away With

The ability to look at a parcel and determine what can be built by right, what requires negotiation, and what might require policy change. This is the day when zoning stops feeling like a barrier and starts feeling like a solvable puzzle.

Week 3 — Site Planning, Building Types & Project Feasibility

Week 3 brings everything together by teaching participants how to design a project that fits the site, the zoning, and the market. This is where the numbers start to matter.

Key Topics

• How to choose the right building type (ADU, duplex, triplex, fourplex, mixed-use, etc.)

• Understanding construction costs and cost drivers

• Parking layouts, access, and circulation

• Unit mix, square footage, and rentable area

• Hard vs. soft costs

• Pro forma basics: income, expenses, NOI, cash-on-cash, return on cost

• How to test whether a project “pencils”

• How to adjust design to improve feasibility

• When to walk away from a site

What Participants Walk Away With

A practical understanding of how to shape a project that fits the site, the code, and the market, and how to run the numbers to determine whether it’s worth pursuing.

Week 4 — Capital Stack, Partnerships & Getting to the Finish Line

The final week focuses on assembling the people, money, and processes needed to move a project from concept to construction. This is where participants learn how to actually get deals done.

Key Topics

• Building a capital stack: debt, equity, grants, gap funding

• Working with banks, credit unions, CDFIs, and mission-driven lenders

• How to pitch a project to a lender

• Structuring partnerships and valuing your contribution

• Negotiating with landowners

• Understanding risk, timelines, and contingencies

• Working with architects, contractors, inspectors, and city staff

• Predevelopment steps and permitting

• How to build a pipeline of future projects

• Why incremental development is a long game

What Participants Walk Away With

A roadmap for moving from idea to execution, plus the confidence to talk to lenders, partners, and city officials. Participants leave with a clearer sense of how to start small, build momentum, and grow into a neighborhood developer.

Why This Bootcamp Matters for Gary

For cities like Gary, where zoning is outdated, appraisals lag behind construction costs, and traditional financing often doesn’t fit. This bootcamp gives residents the tools to:

• Build value in their own neighborhoods

• Navigate systems not designed for small developers

• Advocate for zoning reform

• Create missing-middle housing

• Spread risk and opportunity across local entrepreneurs

• Start projects that are small enough to be doable but big enough to matter

It’s not just a training. It’s capacity-building for a new generation of local developers who can shape the city from the inside out.

This training is made possible by a grant from the Legacy Foundation's John S. and James L. Knight Donor Advised Fund.