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"What One First-Time Developer Can Teach Us About Housing Solutions" by Neil Heller 5/8/25 An overlooked opportunity to fight the housing crisis lies not just in scaling up development efforts, but in scaling down barriers. Photo of a row of small wood houses at sunrise. (Source: Paul Kapischka on Unsplash.) "What struck me was how unexceptional this project should be. It wasn’t the product of a large-scale housing initiative. It didn’t rely on tax credits or public subsidies. No special incentives, no unique foundation funding, no ribbon cutting. Just a neighbor stepping up... ...One of the most powerful things we can do is simply make room for small, incremental efforts to happen more easily. That doesn’t mean subsidizing every small developer. It means getting out of the way enough so they can solve problems with the resources they already have... The key is not just deregulation for its own sake. It’s right-sized regulations that fit the scale and intention of local actors. This means: Zoning that allows small lots and compact forms in more areas Building codes calibrated for allowing more homes with simpler construction Predictable, proportional permitting timelines and fees Supportive financing pathways for sub-$1 million projects Technical assistance programs to help first-timers navigate the system (Kalamazoo, Michigan) This is what a healthy development ecosystem looks like. Not just top-down production, but bottom-up participation.