Incubator program for small developers aims to make way for more affordable housing in Sacramento

By Ken Magri | Solving SacramentoThe City of Sacramento has attempted to come up with an imaginative plan to meet its housing needs through its new Small Developer Incubator Program.The program seeks to recruit local contractors, architects, finance professionals and others involved in housing who can work to build more living units faster, but on a smaller scale than large housing projects.The incubator program will concentrate on building what is called missing-middle housing, which consists of backyard cottages (also called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs), duplexes, fourplexes, work/live spaces and multi-family units that can fit into smaller single-family home sized lots. These buildings are too small and infrequent for conventional developers to build. Their profits come from building large scale projects. But small developers can be more resourceful and adaptable, benefiting from relationships they build and their understanding of a particular locale.Beginning with a February meeting and a March workshop, the program will conclude with a middle housing boot camp to connect and train the participants, asking them to find more creative solutions.& & “Now it’s time for Sacramento to build a homegrown network of developers to realize our city’s potential to meet our great housing needs in an equitable...