Community Developers Roundtable - News

Community Developers Roundtable Fort Worth Partner Dinner

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:46:40 GMT

Partners, sponsors, and developers gathered at Mercury Chophouse in downtown Fort Worth for the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR) Partner Dinner, an evening focused on strengthening the relationships that help move community-centered development forward.

The event was proudly sponsored by PNC Bank , with remarks from Karen Riley, who spoke about the importance of collaboration between financial institutions and developers working to bring impactful projects to life. Support from partners like PNC helps expand access to capital and opportunity for emerging community developers.

Current CDR Cohort 3 participants James Walker and Thomas Oliver of Alpha Family Group also shared reflections on their development journeys and the value of the Roundtable network. Their remarks highlighted how the program creates a space for developers to build relationships, exchange insights, and gain the support needed to advance projects that strengthen neighborhoods.

The evening brought together developers, lenders, and industry partners around a shared commitment to collaboration, connection, and community impact.

The Community Developers Roundtable is a capacity-building initiative supporting diverse developers working on community-rooted real estate projects across Fort Worth.

Check out the event gallery below!

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

Capital, Credit, and Connection: Financing the Future of Fort Worth

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:38:05 GMT

The Community Developers Roundtable Fort Worth cohort convened for session 5 focused on capital access, deal structure, and financing pathways, hosted by Olsson .

We were welcomed by:

Christian Evans – Geography Lead

and Vivian Fung – Senior Planner & Area Leader.

CDFI Case Studies & Discussion

• Glenn Forbes – CDFI Friendly Fort Worth

• Ben Glispie – LISC Fund

• Syndee Freeman – Capital Impact Partners

Developer Case Study

• Shenequa Miller – SCM Integrity First Companies

Public Sector Perspective

• Charlie Price – Development Corporation of Tarrant County

Lunch & Learn

• Raquel Sanchez Valdez – BCL of Texas

• Shane Wilhelm – BCL of Texas

Case Study Activity

• Derric Hicks – CEO, Texas Mezzanine Fund

• Dan Villagas – Texas Mezzanine Fund

This is why the CDR exists: to connect developers directly with capital partners, public entities, and financing experts — building access, alignment, and forward momentum.

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

Beyond the Groundbreaking: Mastering the Fundamentals of Land Strategy

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 07:07:26 GMT

This session continued the cohort’s exploration of the land development process, focusing on how developers evaluate opportunities through deal structure, pricing, yield, and timing—long before a project ever breaks ground.

The conversation was anchored by Gilbert Gerst, Senior Vice President of Community Development Banking at Bank of Texas , who emphasized three fundamentals that consistently shape development outcomes: what you pay for the land, what you sell it for, and the time in between. From there, the discussion expanded to include how deal structures and evolving information influence risk, feasibility, and long-term value.

Insights from Demarius Seals of DCS Development Services and Jared Helmberger of Bear Land reinforced that land development is an iterative process—one that requires disciplined analysis, adaptability, and an understanding of how product type and yield expectations shift over time.

Earlier in the day, participants also attended the Real Estate Council Forecast 2026, providing broader market context that complemented the session’s focus on land strategy and development fundamentals.

The session concluded with a presentation from the Fort Worth Community Land Trust , highlighting its mission to steward land in support of long-term attainable housing for families earning 60–120% of area median income. The overview underscored a citywide, flexible approach that includes new construction, renovation of existing homes, and a lean, collaborative operating model.

Together, the discussions reinforced land as a strategic asset—one shaped by structure, timing, and intent as much as by location or price.

Together, the discussions reinforced land as a strategic asset— one shaped by structure, timing, and intent as much as by location or price.

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

Bridging the Gap: Fort Worth Cohort 3 Gains Direct Access to City Decision-Makers

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:39:42 GMT

The third session of the Community Developers Roundtable Fort Worth cohort brought developers inside City Hall for direct access to the leaders and staff shaping development across Fort Worth, hosted by the City of Fort Worth.

Opening
• Jay Chapa, City Manager

City Leadership Panel
• Kacey Thomas – Neighborhood Services
• Ori Fernandez – Economic Development
• DJ Harrell – Development Services

City Staff & Program Experts
Zoning, housing programs, finance tools, incentives, revitalization, and partnerships were represented by cross-department leaders including Marybel Pena, Sarah Odle, Dyan Anderson, Joshua Hezlap, Lilia Escobedo, Martha Collins, and Phillip Michael Smart.

Lunch & Learn
• LaShondra Stringfellow – Legislative updates impacting development

This is exactly why the CDR exists: to give developers access to decision-makers, understanding of how systems connect, and confidence to move projects forward.

This is exactly why the CDR exists: to give developers access to decision-makers, understanding of how systems connect, and confidence to move projects forward.

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

From Intimidation to Insight: Financial Fundamentals for Community Developers

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 01:48:12 GMT

Session 2 marked the first curriculum-focused gathering of the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR) cohort, hosted at the Fort Worth offices of Westwood .

This session brought participants together with experienced professionals from across the development and finance space. The focus was on connection, perspective, and creating room for honest dialogue, reinforcing CDR’s role as a place where emerging developers can engage directly with people who understand the realities of the work.

The conversation continued throughout the day and wrapped up with informal discussion and networking, giving participants time to connect ideas back to their own goals and build relationships with one another and the speakers.

Session 2 presenters included:

• Will Northern, Crescendo Development

• Porchia Barrett, HM&M

• Diana Cetares, HM&M

• Banking and financial institution representatives

Accounting and taxes are a must, and strong financial systems are essential for navigating bank requirements and building credibility early.

Knowing that a solid financial structure is the starting point for any credible development project, the CDR team intentionally kicked off the first curriculum-focused session with these fundamentals that every emerging developer must understand. The CDR's purpose is to give participants access to information, clarity, and expertise that are often difficult to obtain, and this session delivered precisely that.

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

Building Momentum: CDR Fort Worth Kicks Off Its First Session at Bennett Partners

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:37:30 GMT

The first session of the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR) Fort Worth launched with great energy and excitement. Hosted at Bennett Partners, one of Fort Worth’s leading architecture firms, the event brought together an incredible group of emerging developers, local partners, and community advocates who are passionate about shaping stronger and more inclusive neighborhoods.

Participants began the morning with breakfast and networking before diving into a full agenda that blended learning, discussion, and inspiration.

Setting the Vision

The morning opened with introductions and a conversation about the purpose and vision of the CDR program. CDR Fort Worth is a nine-month professional development program designed to equip emerging community developers with practical knowledge, mentorship, and resources to move their real estate projects forward.

Led by Innovan Neighborhoods, the program focuses on building long-term capacity within Fort Worth’s development ecosystem. Participants also learned what to expect from upcoming monthly sessions, each designed to combine expert insights with peer exchange and hands-on learning.

CDR Fort Worth is a nine-month professional development program designed to equip emerging community developers with practical knowledge, mentorship, and resources to move their real estate projects forward.

Exploring Resources and Relationships

The day included a robust overview of available resources and support. Participants heard from several key partners who introduced the range of tools and expertise available through the program:

Aloni Harris, C3 Fund: shared financing pathways and capital support for developers
Asheya Warren, PRAXIS Strategic Consulting: discussed marketing and public relations related benefits
HM&M CPAs: provided offerings on accounting and tax considerations
Karen Vermaire Fox, Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council: introduced local networking and advocacy opportunities
Jaymar Joseph, Fort Worth Community Land Trust: shared insights on land trust models
Raquel Valdez Sanchez, BCL of Texas: highlighted lending and technical assistance programs

Learning from Experience

A highlight of the session was the CDR Alumni Panel, featuring

Sam Ruben (Ruben Legacy Homes), Brandon Ward (Bid Gigz, LLC), and Jay Taylor (Juxta Designs).

Each shared their personal journey, including the lessons, challenges, and wins that shaped their development path. Their honesty and perspective offered valuable encouragement to the new cohort and underscored the supportive network that CDR fosters.

Putting Ideas into Action

The session continued with a real estate project feedback exercise, giving participants a chance to think critically about development scenarios and hear how peers and mentors would approach real-world challenges. The day wrapped up with lunch and open conversation, allowing participants to connect more deeply and reflect on what they had learned.

Participant Feedback and Reflections

Based on the post-session Pulse Check survey, the first session received glowing feedback from participants. Every respondent rated the session as extremely valuable and described the overall experience as excellent. All participants also said they felt very comfortable engaging, asking questions, and sharing their experiences.

When asked what stood out most, their answers reflected both enthusiasm and a sense of possibility.

"The amount of resources we will have access to."
"I loved the information from the tax company and learning more about the development process."
"I’m excited and look forward to all the sessions to come!"

It’s clear that the first gathering helped participants feel both supported and inspired. Many shared that they left with a better understanding of how to leverage new tools, relationships, and insights to bring their own projects to life.

Looking Ahead

As the first of nine sessions, this kickoff laid a strong foundation for collaboration and growth. The CDR Fort Worth cohort will continue exploring topics such as financing, design, construction management, and marketing in the coming months, with each session building toward real, on-the-ground impact across Fort Worth communities.

To learn more about the CDR Cohort 3 (Fort Worth) participants, click here .

Affordable housing networking program connects Fort Worth’s developers

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:39:04 GMT

A new networking program aims to connect Fort Worth’s nonprofit and for-profit real estate developers with financial capital to build more affordable housing units.

The Community Developers Roundtable, launched in Dallas in 2022, provides developers with access to capital, peer learning and strategic support.

Organizers of Fort Worth’s roundtable hope to replicate the success it had in Dallas, which resulted in nearly $125 million in development activities. That included 39 housing units built and more than $1.7 million in predevelopment and construction loans provided by financial partner BCL of Texas.

Organizers said they want to increase affordable housing and community-based amenities to revitalize neighborhoods through real estate projects. The nine-month program launched with a public presentation at Texas Wesleyan University on Aug. 28,

Maggie Parker, founder of Innovan Neighborhoods and the Community Developers Roundtable program, said the two-year Dallas pilot program equipped about two dozen local developers with resources, networks and capital to drive lasting impact.

“The Fort Worth expansion is about championing and empowering developers who understand the context of their neighborhoods, making them best positioned to build, revitalize and reinvigorate the places they call home, which contributes to the economic vitality of Fort Worth,” Parker said.

- Maggie Parker

Founder, Innovan Neighborhoods

Founder, Community Developers Roundtable

Program organizers gave presentations for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth.

The program’s developers are doing smaller, infill projects in areas that mean something to them since many larger developers aren’t interested in developments under 6 acres, Parker said.

“It’s actually a much-needed community of folks to support as it’s just this small (group) of developers,” she said.

Fort Worth currently doesn’t have a program to aid developers who want to tackle small-scale housing projects, she said.

Asheya L. Warren, CEO and founder of PRAXIS Strategic Consulting, a firm that works with real estate developers, nonprofits, and architectural and engineering firms, said the program can aid developers who are underrepresented in the construction industry.

The heart of the Community Developers Roundtable is to galvanize, share resources and collaborate so developers “are no longer on an island trying to deliver this work,” she said.

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org .

Th is article was first published in FortWorthReport.org . View the original article here .

Community Developers Roundtable Successfully Launches Fort Worth Chapter

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 02:53:03 GMT

The Fort Worth program of the Community Developers Roundtable is officially underway. Learn how the cohort will empower local real estate leaders with capital and training to build stronger, more equitable neighborhoods.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Community Developers Roundtable (CDR), a proven program of Innovan Neighborhoods, officially and successfully launched its Fort Worth chapter on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, marking a major step toward championing locally rooted developers as small business leaders.

The launch event was made possible through the generous support of host sponsor Texas Wesleyan University, where it was held at the Baker Building. The event successfully gathered a diverse group of emerging and established nonprofit and for-profit real estate developers, community leaders, stakeholders, funders and partners dedicated to equitable and sustainable neighborhood growth.

The CDR program’s mission is to unlock homegrown opportunities by equipping local developers with access to critical capital, peer learning, strategic support and strong networks. The developers operate as small businesses deeply invested in their neighborhoods.

Maggie Parker, founder of Innovan Neighborhoods and the Community Developers Roundtable, addressed the attendees, highlighting the organization's history of success and the strategic importance of the Fort Worth expansion.

“Our two-year pilot program showed that equipping locally rooted developers with resources, networks and capital, they can drive lasting impact,” Parker notes. She emphasized the program’s vision, stating, “The Fort Worth expansion is about championing and empowering developers who understand the context of their neighborhoods, making them best positioned to build, revitalize and reinvigorate the places they call home which contributes to the economic vitality of Fort Worth.”

Event Highlights

The program officially launched with a dynamic event that included:

Key Stakeholder Addresses: Attendees heard about the CDR’s established model and the vision for its application and impact across Fort Worth.
Testimonials: Past cohort participants provided firsthand accounts, sharing the real-world impact they achieved after completing the program.
Program Overview: A detailed, step-by-step overview of the application process for the inaugural Fort Worth Cohort was provided, officially opening the application window.
Networking: Developers, funders and community partners connected, fostering the strategic relationships necessary for future community development projects.

With the successful launch of the Fort Worth chapter, the Community Developers Roundtable is now poised to move into its first cohort selection phase, building on its momentum to ensure that local real estate leaders have the capacity to create more affordable housing and vital community assets.

About the Community Developers Roundtable

The Community Developers Roundtable (CDR), a program of Innovan Neighborhoods, is a collective network and capacity-building initiative designed for non-profit and for-profit developers who operate as small businesses deeply invested in their neighborhoods. By offering a developer-led structure with ongoing support, accountability, and access to critical capital, CDR equips developers to create more affordable housing and vital community assets. Together, we foster thriving neighborhoods across North Texas and expand economic opportunity.

Download the Related Press Release here: , CDR Launches in Fort Worth

Community Developers Roundtable Launches in Fort Worth as a Tool for Economic Empowerment Through Real Estate

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:41:38 GMT

Innovan Neighborhoods expands proven developer-led program to Fort Worth, equipping small business real estate leaders with capital, training, and networks.

Fort Worth, TX — August 25, 2025- The Community Developers Roundtable (CDR), a program of Innovan Neighborhoods , is officially launching in Fort Worth to champion locally rooted developers as small business leaders who drive economic empowerment through real estate. By equipping developers with access to capital, peer learning, and strategic support, the program unlocks untapped, homegrown opportunities to build stronger neighborhoods and a more inclusive local economy.

The Fort Worth launch event is made possible through the generous support of Texas Wesleyan University as the host event sponsor. The launch will bring together emerging and established non-profit and for-profit real estate developers, community leaders, stakeholders, funders, and partners who share a commitment to equitable and sustainable neighborhood growth.

“Our 2-year pilot program showed that equipping locally rooted developers with resources, networks, and capital, they can drive lasting impact,” said Maggie Parker, founder of Innovan Neighborhoods and the Community Developers Roundtable.

“The Fort Worth expansion is about championing and empowering developers who understand the context of their neighborhoods, making them best positioned to build, revitalize, and reinvigorate the places they call home which contributes to the economic vitality of Fort Worth.”

Event Highlights

Hear from Key Stakeholders: L earn about CDR’s proven model and vision for Fort Worth.
Program Overview & Applications: Step-by-step overview of the application process, benefits of participation, and program timeline. Applications for the Fort Worth Cohort are open now.
Testimonials: Hear directly from past cohort participants about their experience and impact.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with developers, funders, and community partners dedicated to economic development, small business growth, and revitalizing Fort Worth neighborhoods.

Event Details

DATE & TIME

August 28, 2025,
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Program Start: 4:45 PM

LOCATION

Texas Wesleyan University
Baker Building
1373 Wesleyan St.
(Corner of Rosedale and Wesleyan)

About the Community Developers Roundtable

Download the Press Release here: , CDR Launches in Fort Worth

What Housing Affordability Says About Prosperity in Dallas

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:13:45 GMT

Local leaders explain the connection and the concern.

Nicole Ward, DRC Data Journalist, Voices Contributing Writer,Jun 10, 2025

https://dallasinnovates.com/what-housing-affordability-says-about-prosperity-in-dallas/

A crisis has been unfolding in Dallas for more than a decade that is now reaching an inflection point: Economic growth will not continue without closing the housing affordability gap.

That was the topic at the Dallas Regional Chamber’s May panel discussion and working breakfast at The Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), which pulled together business leaders and real estate professionals. James Armstrong, CEO of Builders of Hope, was a panelist.

“Think about this: In 2012, 44% of the housing stock was considered affordable for Dallas residents. Just ten years later, that shrank to twelve percent. And for renters, affordability shrank from fifty percent of available units to thirty percent,” said Armstrong.

The discussion, moderated by Maggie Parker, founder and managing partner of Innovan Neighborhoods, included attendees in the audience and drew a direct line to Dallas’ economy.

“Housing shortages aren’t just a social issue—they’re a talent issue. When workers can’t afford to live near the job, recruitment suffers, retention drops, and business continuity is at risk,” said Stacey Guillen Bridges, senior vice president, client solutions at CMP .

With rising costs and a shrinking talent pipeline, Dallas will look much less attractive to corporations.

A business imperative

Dale Petroskey, CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber, attended, recognizing that this could create a dire situation.

“The Dallas region has been the envy of the nation for many years, with a low cost of living, relative to similarly sized cities, career opportunities, and a great quality of life. But without closing this gap, we risk losing ground,” he said.

Nick Walsh, vice president of development at the NRP Group, points to San Francisco as an example of restrictive zoning laws and bad policies that have created the housing crisis the city is living with today.

“Despite being faced with soaring demand and job growth, city leaders were apprehensive to approve new and denser housing options. That was compounded by inadequate funding and lengthy permitting processes,” said Walsh.

He added that one thing leaders can start to do immediately is redefine what ‘affordable’ means and who that applies to.

“The term ‘affordable housing’ is radioactive to many people today, who associate it with run-down, unsafe buildings and people who are looking to cause trouble,” said Walsh. “The reality is that, today, affordable housing is indistinguishable from market-rate housing. Those that qualify include people with good jobs serving the community, and today even people with advanced degrees need affordable housing.”

Removing barriers and cultivating growth

Getting to this point was like a slow-speed car crash, and improving the situation will also take time, as well as strategic cooperation.

“We need legislators that recognize the problem and do their part to facilitate housing affordability,” said Walsh.

He says data-informed laws and regulations would help bolster individuals who are making a difference. People like Parker.

In 2022, she started the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR), a two-year pilot program to both give under-represented developers a seat at the table and start to fill the housing gap.

“I am so proud of the CDR,” said Parker. “During the pilot, our members created 1,308 housing units. This represents single and multi-family construction—quality housing at rates that are commensurate with the wages people are earning today.”

Her financial partner, BCL , lent more than $1.7 million in pre-development and construction loans over the two years; CDR members turned those loans into nearly $125 million in development activity. Those are just two of the success metrics in the organization’s impact report .

“Business needs to play a role in this, too,” said Petroskey. “No one likes talking about their finances, but leaders can do anonymous assessments at their organizations to determine the average distance between salaries and the real cost of living.”

The message is clear: if housing affordability isn’t solved, we’re going to see an economic contraction that will take generations to reverse.

This article was originally published on Dallasinnovates.com , read the original article here.

Armstrong: Meet Dallas’ equitable developers

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 21:34:23 GMT

Real estate has created opportunity gaps for underserved populations. These firms are changing that.

Opinion: James Armstrong; The Dallas Morning News; Sunday June 16, 2024

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/06/15/meet-dallas-equitable-developers/

These Dallas developers are pursuing opportunity-driven development. (Michael Hogue)

Anna Hill sees her neighborhood going from “bad, better to great.” At a time when housing prices are soaring and neighborhoods are becoming less cohesive, Hill, president of the Dolphin Heights Neighborhood Association in South Dallas, is optimistic, partly because of the efforts of firms like Titan & Associates.

Titan, led by CEO Kwame Ellis and COO Khalid Shabazz, is one of several local firms advancing community-focused development—an attempt to repair the fractured relationship between underserved populations and pathways to economic mobility. In Dolphin Heights, it’s working.

Barriers to Success

Opportunity-driven development is a trend gaining traction among developers. To understand it requires acknowledging how real estate has excluded underserved populations in the past.

Throughout U.S. history, real estate has been a proven way to build wealth and foster economic mobility. But barriers to success—such as discriminatory policies (e.g., redlining), demographic shifts, and displacement driven by economic priorities—have left many communities viewing the sector as exclusionary. As a result, one of the most transformative investments available to families is often overlooked in these areas, perpetuating opportunity gaps.

Efforts to address this, like the Housing Act of 1949, aimed to revitalize neighborhoods affected by disinvestment but often worsened concentrated poverty and displacement. This legacy explains why many underserved populations remain wary of real estate.

Further, developers from underrepresented groups are rare. According to a 2023 study by the Grove Collective Foundation, Black and Hispanic developers represent just 0.56% of the industry.

That’s what makes Anna Hill’s neighborhood trajectory notable. Community-focused development is helping reverse opportuniy gaps while creating workforce readiness for local businesses.

Building Capacity

Innovan Neighborhoods, an urban real estate development firm led by Maggie Parker, is another development firm in this field. Innovan invests in developers committed to building in underserved neighborhoods. To date, 22 developers have participated in Innovan’s Community Developers Roundtable (CDR), which equips them through networking, leadership development and access to capital.

Parker’s previous work managing the Real Estate Council’s Community Development Financial Institution brought capital to much-needed projects that some traditional lenders would have deemed unbankable, and led to the creation of the Dallas Collaborative for Equitable Development, which is helping transform West Dallas, the Bottom and the Forest District.

Investing in developers who reflect the community which they serve creates a ripple beyond the development project, Parker said. Developers are hiring local contractors with deep ties in the neighborhood, which then secures homeownership for families, providing more rooftops to support local businesses. Not to mention the neighbor that gets paid a few extra bucks to provide an extra set of eyes for security or site cleanup.

In development circles, impact is usually measured in terms of quantity: how many units are created. But fair access to opportunities invites us to reimagine impact differently: how far an investment ripples throughout the community.

Business roundtable

Parker isn’t alone in her efforts. A recent CDR bus tour showcased cohort participants, and the transformational impact of their work was obvious.

Ferrell Fellows of Kingdom Legacy is building a wellness center and business hub in the heart of South Dallas, directly next door to a grocery store that recently closed.

Jason Brown of Dallas City Homes is developing a 15-unit apartment complex that will offer seniors stable housing amid rapidly mounting gentrification occurring in the La Bajada neighborhood of West Dallas.

And Ellis of Titan & Associates is navigating the difficult topography of Dolphin Heights to deliver quality single-family homes at an affordable price.

These developers are proof that impact is more than the size or number of sticks and bricks. They are also proof that opportunity-driven development is worth pursuing.

Development in Dallas can no longer repeat our country’s past failures. New models are needed that are community-focused, non-disruptive, and which spur ripples of economic mobility.

To Anna Hill, the results are seen in new homes and new neighbors. She has lived in Dolphin Heights since the 1980s, when police wouldn’t respond to calls there and gang activity was rampant, she told me. Now, she sees families who want to live there.

Cohort 2 Celebration and Project Bus Tour

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 19:13:46 GMT

Cohort 2 Celebration & Project Bus Tour - Image Gallery

Program Overview & Developer Context

Bus Tour

Networking Happy Hour

From Service to Success

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:40:24 GMT

Sam Ruben’s Mission to Empower Veterans Through Real Estate

Dallas real estate developer Sam Ruben is on a mission not just to build quality, affordable homes but also to teach service members how to get into construction and build wealth by leveraging their VA loans. She wishes she had been given this information.

“I was in the service for 13 years—they do not tell you about all of the benefits that you qualify for; there’s so much misinformation,” Ruben said.

In fact, a 2022 NPR story highlighted how the GI Bill in 1944, which helped a generation accumulate wealth and rise to the middle class, excluded Black veterans. And at the end of 2023, CNN produced a story about Navy Federal Credit Union approving less than half of Black borrowers. The investigation found that for the same type of loan, more than 75% of white applicants were approved.

Ruben says no one told her she could use her VA loan more than once, that she could have more than one at a time, and that it could be used to build a house or rehab one she already owns.

“I was on active duty for 12 of the 13 years I was in the National Guard. They moved me from city to city in different parts of South Austin, Houston, McAllen, and Brownwood. So had I utilized my VA loans to purchase property, I could have built up a single-family network of properties,” said Ruben. “Or I could have sold them and invested in other real estate ventures.”

Service members must live in homes financed with government-backed loans, but being moved around, like Ruben was, is common. With each move, the homeowner has the chance to either rent or sell the property. Over time, that can create a nice nest egg to use when returning to the civilian world.

“Let’s say they don’t want to go straight into work after they leave the military,” said Ruben. “They want time off with their family because they’ve been ripping and running for 13, 20, 25 years and want to be able to take a break. Their VA loan and their benefits will help them do that.”

Through her company, Ruben Legacy Homes, she uses her own journey to teach veterans the nuances of financing and the benefits of knowing how to build things.

“When you’re in the military, you know military. You really don’t have a backup plan—and then when you get out, you’re lost.”

Ruben first picked up a hammer and started learning construction from a friend who served as her mentor. In the next five- to ten years, she wants to fill that role for up to twenty more veterans in one-on-one relationships. She also plans to restart her seminar series

(information about future classes can be found here ) , all while continuing to build new homes, either on her own or through partnerships.

She’s proud of making the pivot from serving in the military to serving veterans through real estate development, where she works to empower, educate, and provide resources—just like the Community Developers Roundtable does for her.

“The CDR has been a tremendous help in understanding contracts,” Ruben said. “For example, one class was taught by a lawyer who went into every aspect of what could go wrong in a partnership and the details needed in agreements to mitigate risk.”

The topic-focused classes complement networking opportunities that Ruben takes advantage of, and through this combination, she’s finding a way to make a difference in the lives of her “battle buddies” and the community at large.

Recent endeavors include a single-family home for a veteran in Denton, where Ruben and the veteran worked together from land acquisition through construction; and a rental duplex in Terrell, where she’s collaborating with other veteran partners. This project marks the participants’ first investment property and construction job. Ruben is taking them step-by-step, teaching them skills they’ll take into the future — whether the job is an addition and cosmetic touches, a rebuild after fire damage, or a home built from the ground up.

When the construction talent pool contracts, the veterans Ruben has worked with rise to the top of the recruitment list because of their on-the-job training and their ability to stick to a schedule and follow orders. Combined with the financial savvy they demonstrate when selling the property financed by a VA loan, she knows she’s leaving a lasting impact on veterans in the region.

RUBEN LEGACY HOMES GALLERY
Photos courtesy of Sam Ruben.

From Gridiron to Groundbreaking

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 14:32:15 GMT

How Two High School Football Teammates Are Tackling Affordable Housing in Dallas

Kwame Ellis and Khalid Shabazz attended high school together in Oakland, California, where they both played football for the Titans. Little did they know that their bond as friends and teammates would one day lead to a thriving real estate development firm dedicated to creating affordable housing solutions in Dallas.

It was around 2004 when the two teammates first discovered their mutual interest in real estate. But it took another decade and a move to Dallas before they transformed their interest in housing and architecture into a business. Their guiding principle—doing well while doing good—became their North star.

As they celebrate the 10th anniversary of Titan and Associates, Ellis and Shabazz reflect on their journey from field allies to visionary community builders. “We started investing in real estate—buying, holding, fixing, and flipping—and as we got more advanced, skilled, and trained, we developed Titan and Associates,” said Ellis.

Honoring their roots and serving the community

A DFW real estate company that honors the school mascot where their friendship began, Titan has two arms: a development firm that focuses on building from the ground up and a construction company that specializes in renovating existing homes for various municipalities. To date, the Titan team has completed projects totaling more than $25 million.

“We realized that there was a much broader need outside of just the private side, and that pushed us to see how we could partner with municipalities to put more quality homes into what’s now known as ‘affordable housing.’”

In today’s lexicon, people talk about the need for opportunity access in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Ellis and Shabazz have focused on that segment since they started working together. That’s where they saw the most need and opportunity for growth.

“When we revitalize existing homes for the city, we don’t just want to get things ‘good enough’—we have an opportunity to make a difference, creating living spaces that people can be proud of, places that are safe. A lot of our work serves the elderly community, so it’s important that we get things right,” said Shabazz.

Maintaining consistency and affordability in Dallas housing

Shabazz and Ellis approach both remodels and new construction with an eye toward consistency. Rather than tearing something down and putting up a structure that looks nothing like the surrounding homes, their goal is to keep the integrity of the area. That means staying within the same style—two-story or ranch, carport or garage—keeping similar square footage, and using the same construction materials so the house can be affordable but not “othered.”

The partners are proud of the good work they’ve started and want to grow the company by taking on bigger projects that will increase the inventory faster.

“Getting larger parcels of land and developing affordable communities instead of individual structures in different parts of the city,” explains Shabazz. “Incomes are not going up at the same rate as the cost of living. Dallas is trying to address this problem, and we have the track record to help.”

They remind people that ‘affordable’ does not mean low income—it means the amount allocated for something isn’t disproportionate to the amount of money someone earns. For housing, the federal government puts that at 30 percent. Dallas—like cities across the country—is increasingly struggling with that.

Tackling Dallas’ affordable housing shortage

Affordability is determined by looking at area median income. For the city of Dallas, AMI is $44,500 for a family of four. A report from the Child Poverty Action Lab released in the spring of 2023 showed that the city needs more than 33,000 rental units just to accommodate the current number of households (family of four) that earn at or below AMI.

Ellis says that kind of data motivates Titan.

“Look at an area like Dolphin Heights. Titan’s homes are two blocks away from the Dallas Fire Department’s training facility. Being able to live and work in the same area—and own their own home—that was intentional. We want to do more of that.”

Titan and Associates also has its fingerprints in South Oak Cliff, South Dallas, and an area near Paul Quinn College.

“We’re grateful that we’re able to do well for ourselves and grow our efforts in the community at the same time. And a big part of that expansion is because of the CDR,” said Ellis.

The power of collaboration: Community Developers Roundtable

The CDR, or Community Developers Roundtable , is based on the same principles of teamwork and collaboration that Ellis and Shabazz first experienced on the football field.

“We all have individual projects, but we’re working as a team, sharing knowledge and experiences.”

The CDR provides access to experts and industry contacts that help Titan and Associates continue to be profitable while managing the costs to build—all while keeping homes at a reasonable price point. Their houses are typically priced under $240 thousand dollars, and similar structures could go for $100 thousand dollars higher just down the street, they say.

Connecting for community impact

Connecting developers like Titan and Associates with each other and with experts in real estate and financing, as well as leaders in local government, isn’t the only way the CDR provides support during the eight-month program. Networking events where members from both cohorts can mix with corporate sponsors are another key to success.

At one recent dinner hosted at Cafe Momentum, Karen Riley, community development officer at PNC touted the CDR’s growing influence.

“The CDR provides an opportunity to connect with the next generation of affordable housing developers, understand their vision and needs, and collectively collaborate to provide resources to better the community,” Riley said, noting that the bank is a proud sponsor of the Innovan Neighborhoods Community Developers Roundtable networking dinner.

Riley said the "partnership with the CDR is a demonstration of PNC’s commitment made in its 2022 Community Benefits Plan, to support affordable housing.”

Dallas Innovates: How This Dallas Developer Is Transforming Neighborhoods in Southern Dallas Through Affordable Housing, One Property at a Time

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 17:12:31 GMT

In this continuing series on real estate development in Southern Dallas, we introduce you to 15 real estate professionals in Innovan Neighborhood's Community Development Roundtable who aim to bring new life to long-neglected parts of Dallas.

Many people get into real estate for the potential financial rewards. But for Jay McIlveen, president of Five Star Properties, the returns come in more than dollars and cents. Since 2020, he’s been investing in property that he remodels into quality, affordable housing, full time.

His passion for real estate started as a side hustle and grew as he realized he had an opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives. “In 2002, I was working in corporate America and buying houses on the side, and I would either sell them or rent them out,” says McIlveen. At that time, he worked with a mix of clients, but when the market crashed in 2008, and he was still getting payments from his Section 8 tenants, he pivoted.

“Initially, that was a financial decision, but the benefit of getting consistent payments from the government means I have more flexibility to help people. A lot of people who are on Section 8 are single mothers, looking for a safe environment for their family,” said McIlveen.

He keeps this front of mind when rehabbing a property.

“Most of the houses we buy are in need of repair—they could be fire or flood damaged, or sometimes the former resident was a hoarder. These are structures that have become a blight on the neighborhood, but they’re still salvageable.”

For Mcllveen, ‘salvageable’ doesn’t mean just getting them up to code—that’s table stakes. He’s creating housing that is affordable, move-in-ready, and a source of pride for those who live there. His approach has a multiplier effect on under-championed areas.

For example, while many landlords engage in tenant turnover and continue to raise prices, Mcllveen says most of his tenants stay for at least five years. One told him she wants to stay in her house forever. That kind of commitment impacts the whole area by turning it into a community, rather than just a zip code.

“She and her husband moved to a house near the zoo, which has a lot of revitalization happening now. But 16 years ago, it was a different story. I had several tenants come in and out before them, but when they moved in, they stabilized the property,” said McIlveen.

He got to know the couple well — even hiring the husband to do some work on other properties. When he passed away a few years ago, she couldn’t afford the rent on her own. McIlveen says property prices near the zoo have tripled in the past decade, but because of the relationship, he adjusted her monthly payment to one that she could afford.

“Yes, real estate has been profitable for me, but when I have a tenant tell me that she wants to stay in her home forever, that is invaluable.”

For Mcllveen, the biggest reward is being in a position to help people through some of life’s challenges while disproving misconceptions about Section 8 tenants.

“This idea that they don’t take care of your property is an unfortunate stereotype. In fact, I’ve rented to both people who do and do not qualify for Section 8, and the way they treat the property is based on the individual, not whether they are getting assistance,” said Mcllveen.

To date, Five Star Properties has purchased, rehabbed, and sold (or rented) more than 40 single-family homes. Currently Five Star has 15 single-family homes in its portfolio, and in 2023 Mcllveen was selected to join the second cohort of the Community Developers Roundtable .

He says joining the CDR has enabled him to keep growing as a developer and ultimately reach more people.

“It’s all about relationships, and the CDR has been great. For example, the classes that they host, and the doors that they open. For someone who works with housing authorities all over the Metroplex that operate with slightly different nuances, the CDR has helped me navigate and identify partner organizations that have similar missions and goals.”

For more stories on the Community Development Roundtable and its members, click here .

Voices contributor Nicole Ward is a data journalist for the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Initiative aims to help developers of color accelerate affordable housing construction

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:57:32 GMT

Nonprofits combine with for-profit community-oriented developers for more firepower

Maggie Parker, founder of Innovan Neighborhoods, has developed a roundtable that provides support to underrepresented groups in real estate development.

JAKE DEAN

By Plamedie Ifasso – Staff Writer, Dallas Business Journal

Dec 4, 2023

A Dallas-based real estate development firm has settled on a unique way to invest long-term in people committed to revitalizing neighborhoods.

Innovan Neighborhoods LLC in mid-October began the second round of what it calls a community developers roundtable. It is meant to support developers already working on community-oriented projects, accelerate their growth and minimize hurdles. Many of the participants in the second cohort are working on single-family developments and focused on scaling up from building a couple of homes a year.

"There's always a lot of conversation that we need more affordable housing," Innovan Neighborhoods founder and Managing Partner Maggie Parker said. "Who is actually going to do the work? It's really hard. You're putting together all these different capital sources. You have to navigate this in addition to whatever the traditional market standards are. I think we underestimate the additional toll that it takes on people to do community-oriented work."

There are seven for-profit developers in the second round of Innovan's roundtable. Launched in 2022 in collaboration with BCL of Texas, the two-year pilot aims to create and support more affordable housing projects and serves as a networking, funding and learning opportunity for diverse nonprofit organizations and for-profit community-oriented developers. Innovan completed its first cohort June 1 with a mix of 15 nonprofit and for-profit participants and increased the collective member pipeline of affordable units by 112.

The roundtable will have 10 sessions throughout nine months and feature monthly half-day training sessions with guest speakers, networking opportunities and access to resources including a $1 million pre-development fund, staff training resources, professional coaching and a CPA/tax consultant retainer.

During the second round of the initiative, Innovan plans to connect the group to its CPA/tax consultant retainers and is actively working to revamp its pre-development fund.

When the firm launched the roundtable, interest rates on construction lending were about 5%, and it targeted a rate of 6% for its fund. But with rates now in the 8% to 9% range, developers are rethinking the type of financing they want on their projects .

"Usually, your pre-development dollars are really high interest rate," Parker said. "It made sense when construction lending was at a lower interest rate. Now, construction lending is much higher, so people are getting weary about getting into new deals. When you have people getting worried about getting some new deals, and mortgage rates are high, then it also makes it more difficult for your buyer. With all the changes in interest rates, it changes how people assess the type of financing they want on their projects."

The organization is exploring establishing a guaranty fund. The maximum amount Innovan can lend in its pre-development fund is $100,000, and while that is a good fund size for cohort members who are working on smaller single-family developments, it wasn’t enough for some participants in the initial cohort.

The firm plans to work with a third-party consultant and roundtable alumni to build an effective fund.

“With a guaranty pool fund, we can aggregate capital that allows people to use this as a guarantee on their projects, which would allow them to access more capital from a lender than what we could even do in a traditional fund,” Parker said.

Titan & Associates Inc. President and CEO Kwame Ellis, one of the developers participating in the second cohort, initially wasn’t sure what he wanted to get out of the roundtable. He joined on the advice of a cousin and business partner.

Titan & Associates has a pipeline of 25 homes it's building in the next 18 to 24 months, with 10 currently in production and three completed. Much of the company’s funding comes from the owners or private money, so Ellis thought the roundtable would be a resource to find more banking relationships.

"I'm getting more than that because there are other resources outside of banking," Ellis said. "As you scale, are your taxes set up? Is your CPA lined up properly to scale with you? Are you getting all the breaks that you need to be getting? [Maggie Parker] has it set up where you got coaching and individuals that are way more experienced than you and can say, 'Have you considered this? Did you know about this?'"

As the organization completes the second year of its pilot, it will connect with alumni to see what a long-term version of the roundtable could look like and explore ways other markets can adapt it outside of Dallas.

“We're having some conversations with a statewide organization to say, 'How do we work with groups that are not in the major markets?,'” Parker said. “They may not be in Dallas, Houston or Austin. They may be in some of the second-tier markets. How can they learn from each other across the state? When we think about this thing long term, how do we revamp the resources that we have? How do we revamp the fund?”

SouthFair Community Development Corp. Executive Director Annie Evans didn’t expect the social media attention that came after she completed the first cohort of the roundtable.

Established in 1991, SouthFair is currently in the pre-development stage for Townhomes at Malcolm’s Point, a 21-unit townhome community offering both affordable and market-rate housing, and Malcolm’s Point Retail.

As the leader of the agency, Evans felt like being part of the roundtable was part of her duty of to advance SouthFair and a great way to meet builders who could partner with the organization. Another cohort participant will build SouthFair's new townhome development after Evans invited him to submit a bid, and she’s discussing collaborating on another development project with a separate member.

“You make these connections, and when you do things like get a grant, you see those folks coming to support,” Evans said. “You constantly get others that want to connect with you on LinkedIn. For SouthFair being a nonprofit, that’s exposure. Exposure is important for any organization or company. For a nonprofit, a small one at that, sometimes it gets tough. There’s a lot of nonprofits and competition out there."

Transforming the Dallas Landscape: Meet the New Team Building Affordable Housing

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:41:28 GMT

The Innovan Neighborhoods Community Developer's Roundtable is back in action again. The new cohort is different, but their mission is the same: building more affordable housing in Dallas.

BY NICOLE WARD, DRC DATA JOURNALIST • OCT 30, 2023

An innovative approach to address the ongoing need for affordable housing in Dallas is showing results. Innovan Neighborhoods launched the Community Developers Roundtable in September 2022. The two-year pilot is designed to create more affordable housing options—both through owning and renting—as well as to address gaps in the community development ecosystem with a long-term, developer-led structure.

During the nine-month program, the first CDR cohort of 15 added 112 housing units and six commercial projects to the pipeline. They also participated in a 10-site project tour and learned from 38 guest speakers. The developers will continue to have fingerprints on the Dallas community development market through catalytic projects, serving in leadership positions, and engaging with the second cohort. A few examples of that first cohort include:

Jason Brown with Dallas City Homes and Armonia Apartments;
Olga Lopez, serving as the Chair of the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
Jordan D’Silva, building industrial coworking spaces for mid-size businesses;
James A. Armstrong leading the city of Dallas anti-displacement policy.

Offering a $1M dedicated pre-development fund

In addition to providing opportunities to underrepresented real estate professionals, the roundtable offers a $1 million dollar dedicated pre-development fund—money given in the form of stipends for developers to train staff through technical assistance, professional coaching, and project feasibility studies.

The new cohort members will meet monthly through June 2024 for eight sessions and two networking events. Their collective experience includes developing or rehabbing more than 140 units across Dallas-Fort Worth—with another 50 under construction or in the pipeline.

Meet the new roundtable members:

Operation Tiny House Tackles the Affordable Housing Problem for Veterans in Southern Dallas

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:25:18 GMT

Operation Tiny House Tackles the Affordable Housing Problem for Veterans in Southern Dallas

Valerie Ballard is the executive director of Operation Tiny House. Fiscally backed by North Texas Capacity Builders, the organization built six tiny houses in 2019 for a veteran community in Palmer, Texas. Operation Tiny House has also secured a property in Southern Dallas’ University Hills where she imagines job training, retail operations, and housing that will align with zoning restrictions. Her vision is big, which is why she’s thrilled to be part of the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR). For Ballard, it’s a personal mission.

“I knew my father was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But it wasn’t until a family reunion that I learned that my grandmother had dedicated her life to taking care of veterans,” Ballard said.

Joanna Webb-Murria graduated in 1935 and began working in Louisiana hospitals, eventually traveling to Vancouver, Washington, Arkansas, and settling in Oak Cliff. Her former home is now known as Joanna’s Veterans Camp. It opened in 2018 and provides transitional housing.

But even though Ballard manages Operation Tiny House and Joanna’s Veteran’s Camp, she didn’t realize how the local homeless veteran problem had grown since the pandemic, until she got a phone call.

“Last summer the veteran’s liaison at UNT Dallas called and said a veteran, who was enrolled and attending classes, had just told her that she had been sleeping in her car at the DART station and couldn’t do it anymore.”

Her story wouldn’t be the last.

“We had a Navy veteran show up at our place — he was also sleeping in his car. We had an opening at the camp, so we got him in there for the short-term and kept working on Operation Tiny House.”

It’s reflective of a national problem, Ballard says. According to HUD, on a single night in 2022, 33,129 veterans were homeless — 28 percent of that total or roughly 9,300, were chronically homeless.

Because this is a pervasive problem throughout the country, the Biden administration is taking aim with new legislation called All-In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness . The data-driven proposal from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness aims to reduce homelessness 25 percent by 2025. It includes Dallas as one of its first five target cities.

Untreated medical issues, domestic violence, and affordable housing are some of the factors that can result in homelessness. And according to the Dallas Housing Coalition, a 33,600-unit housing gap is expected to grow to 83,500 units by 2030. It’s not hard to see a future with more people will be forced onto the street — and veterans are at higher risk than the general population. Ballard — who has experience in business management and nonprofit development — wants to be solution ready.

“We can’t build fast enough,” she said, speaking at the 11.4-acre undeveloped property in University Hills. They won’t be building tiny houses on this site because of zoning restrictions, but Ballard envisions housing, along with a place for veterans to do job training, as well as retail operations. Operation Tiny House, along with community partnerships to provide wrap-around services, has been folded into the University Hills Veterans’ Housing Initiative (UHVHI) so veterans will have access not just to their own homes, but to jobs, skills training, and even a path to entrepreneurship.

Now that the City of Dallas has installed a sewer line, construction planning can begin. Ballard is organizing a developer’s competition where architects and construction firms will visit to evaluate the project’s potential. Details on timing and getting involved can be found on the Operation Tiny House website . She expects to break ground in 2024; the development is slated to complete in spring 2026.

The New Dallas Landscape: Marc Henderson On Driving Change Through Community Development

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:20:25 GMT

Dallas Innovates:

In this series on real estate development in Southern Dallas, we introduce you to 15 real estate pros in Innovan Neighborhood's Community Development Roundtable who aim to bring new life to long-neglected parts of Dallas.

Part 1: Meet Marc Henderson, the visionary behind a near-complete multifamily project in Bishop Arts and an upcoming groundbreaking development in South Oak Cliff.

Nicole Ward, DRC Data Journalist

VOICES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JUN 16, 2023

On Highland Woods Drive, in Highland Hills—a section of South Oak Cliff—sits nearly five acres of untouched land. That terrain is about to undergo a transformation, thanks to the efforts of developer Marc Henderson.

“3.76 acres are buildable,” says Henderson, founder of Exodus Development Group (EDG), which has plans to construct 18 duplexes for a total of 36 units on the undeveloped land.

Initially, EDG planned to sell half the units at market rate—something the community expressed interest in—and make the other half available for rent. With current market conditions under evaluation, EDG is exploring the best mechanisms, including rental, rent-to-own, or sale, to bring these units to market, he says.

Motivated to make a difference

Henderson’s project goes beyond mere housing; it encompasses a deep-rooted commitment to the community. It’s a core value that’s exemplified through his strategic partnership with the Community Developers Roundtable/Innovan Neighborhoods, a collective of like-minded individuals dedicated to fostering sustainable community development.

Henderson’s South Oak Cliff development embraces the concept of community, with a pet-friendly environment and private parking for residents. For recreation, residents will have access to nearby College Park, as well as a soccer field that borders the complex—currently maintained by the City of Dallas, but unused.

The Judge Charles R. Rose Park is also being built a few miles away, across from the Highland Hills Library. The park site is a 40-acre vacant lot that’s being turned into green space for the estimated four-thousand residents of Highland Hills and Oak Cliff by the Trust for Public Land and the City of Dallas, the developer notes.

‘Tremendous opportunity in Southern Dallas’

“There’s tremendous opportunity in Southern Dallas,” Henderson said. “I also have a multifamily property on Seventh Street in Bishop Arts that’s almost complete.”

He discussed two of EDG’s Southern Dallas projects during a bus tour with the Community Developers Roundtable/Innovan Neighborhoods in early June.

Henderson’s multifamily project in Bishop Arts has six units: two are two-bedroom/one-bathroom units; one is a one-bedroom/one-bathroom unit; and the remaining three are studios.

Henderson gutted the inside of the structure, updated the electrical, repaired the foundation, and added new siding and windows. The project builds on the developer’s successful track record of updating residential units—more than 20 to date—in Dallas and Atlanta.

Paving the way to economic empowerment for people

Marc Henderson’s passion for equitable housing stems from his personal journey and understanding of the transformative power of homeownership. The developer learned early on that home ownership can be a step in the path to economic empowerment.

The developer grew up in East Austin back when it was considered a low-income area. There were few resources and opportunities for advancement, he says. At age 17, he joined the Navy and remembers being in boot camp during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Returning home, he says, his native city was a very different East Austin, where many native Austinites were being forced out as the East section was being built up.

That experience stayed with Henderson in college, where he studied marketing and began laying the groundwork to pursue a career in real estate development. He also met his wife in school and a few years after graduating, the two purchased a few triplexes in the College Park area of Atlanta to refurbish. With a bachelor’s degree and some experience under his belt, he realized a legal education would be a logical next step; Texas A&M Law School brought him back to the Lone Star State.

“My focus was on real property, so I took classes in things like construction law, land use, environmental and water law, oil and gas rights.”

Meeting Innovan Neighborhood’s Maggie Parker

After law school, Henderson worked for the federal government as a Space and Leasing Representative with the 2020 Census and as a Multifamily Realty Specialist with HUD’s Office of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight. But his ties to the Dallas region strengthened.

“In Austin, the only way you could take advantage of the growth was to sell the home that had been in your family for generations. You can only do that once,” Henderson observed.

He and his wife sold their Georgia properties, began investing here, and became familiar with local real estate professionals. That’s how he first heard the name Maggie Parker.

With experience as a developer, lender, and investor, Parker founded Innovan Neighborhoods in 2019, to match opportunities with financial resources and expertise. Just last year, she created the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR) as a program of Innovan, naming Henderson to the inaugural cohort of 15 developers in November.

The action-oriented group wants to address gaps in the community development ecosystem with a long-term, developer-led structure.

Henderson welcomed the opportunity to join with the group of community-minded developers. Plus, the roundtable offers a projected $1 million dedicated pre-development fund, staff capacity stipends, financial resources for technical assistance, professional coaching, and project feasibility studies.

Henderson, who believes in growth for everyone, says that means creating resources to help people start their own businesses, provide for themselves and their families, and learn about the importance of planning and saving.

“That starts with having a safe place to lay your head at night and a home you can be proud to live in,” Henderson said.

Groundbreaking in South Oak Cliff

Henderson is awaiting word from the City of Dallas to begin clearing the land in South Oak Cliff and expects to break ground in Q3 or Q4.

When the units are built, it will manifest the vision he shares with Parker and the other members of the CDR—and a full-circle moment for him.

Voices contributor Nicole Ward is a data journalist for the Dallas Regional Chamber.

CDR Bus Tour Featured in Dallas Morning News

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 22:03:24 GMT

Southern Dallas is Building on Opportunity

New generation devoted to change carries area’s hopes for housing

By Dallas Morning News Editorial

2:00 AM on Jun 5, 2023 CDT

If you needed a big dose of hope for the future of Dallas, you should have been on one of the buses that rolled out from Herbert Street onto Singleton Boulevard Thursday afternoon.

We were pointed east on the way out of West Dallas, but this journey was all about the south, the way southern Dallas will grow and who will lead the change that is coming.

Along for the ride were developers, architects, builders, financiers and others who are looking for ways to build on the opportunity that our city has south of the Trinity River.

But here was the important twist. Just about everyone aboard those buses reflected the communities they serve, many of them young and devoted to new ideas about the way southern Dallas should develop and how they can lead the area to greater prosperity and a greater mix of incomes while providing the affordable housing the city needs.

“Anybody who tries to do it the old way is going to find out it doesn’t work, it’s not sustainable and it’s not good for our city,” said James Armstrong, a West Dallas native now leading the community housing development organization Builders of Hope.

By the old way, Armstrong is talking about the way housing development got done for too long in the south. Much of it was entirely subsidy dependent, with City Hall or the state controlling the funds. A handful of developers, many with political connections, fought for the money. Too few homes were built and it took too long to build them.

Bad policy, lack of demand, unfair lending practices and corruption and insider dealing have choked opportunity for decades.

But along that bus tour from West Dallas, to South Dallas, to Pleasant Grove, looping through Red Bird and back north through south Oak Cliff and into Bishop Arts, what was on display was a new energy among a young cohort of community-focused developers with the knowledge and skills to bring sensitive and lasting change to our city.

The reason for the tour was a sort of graduation. A group known as the Community Developers Roundtable was founded last year by Maggie Parker, managing partner and founder of Innovan Neighborhoods.

Parker is a leading figure among this group of developers leading change in southern Dallas. She founded the roundtable in partnership with mission-driven Business and Community Lenders of Texas to help build the skills and knowledge of developers like her who are actively doing projects across the region.

Thursday’s tour marked the completion of nine months of learning for 15 developers.

This alone represents an important change. Whereas in the old system, subsidized developers were usually pitted against one another in a bid for the same government funds, these developers are working together to share knowledge about how to access capital markets, philanthropic funds and a variety of subsidies.

Many are interested in producing affordable housing. But affordable housing is just one part of a broader mix. There is a great interest, and demand, for market-rate development, too.

Jay Taylor, an architect and developer who has focused on the 10th Street Historic District, is about to break ground on the biggest home he has built yet, a beautiful 2,700-square-foot, craftsman-style house with a wide front porch and big windows facing Ninth Street.

Scottie Smith, of Shekinah Legacy Holdings, is working in the Jeffries-Meyers area. Originally from Houston, Smith saw an opportunity in South Dallas when he literally took a wrong turn one day and found himself among vacant lots strewn with trash but filled with potential.

For Smith, developing here isn’t about putting up low-cost housing that looks like low-cost housing. It’s about re-creating a neighborhood through great design with a mix of incomes.

“You can’t pigeonhole all low-income people into one area. We’ve done that experiment before. It doesn’t work,” he said.

Smith lives not far from where he is building. One of his homes under construction reflects his belief in design as a way to shape the community. Its wide, wraparound second-story porch is all about eyes on the street, he said. People who can see their community can help protect their community.

What was striking about the tour, even for those of us who have spent years in southern Dallas, was the reminder of just how open and beautiful it is. Everywhere there is land, much of it with mature trees, rolling topography and vistas of the city that you don’t get in the north.

But even if there is greater hope now than there has been in years, many of the old obstacles remain.

Jasmond Anderson, a city plan commissioner, architect and developer, voiced the fear that powerful people and groups will take over before developers from the community have a chance to make a mark.

“There is a desire not just to gentrify South Dallas but to gain control of South Dallas,” he said.

That’s a reasonable worry, given past challenges, and Anderson, who went to Lincoln High School, has a long view of those challenges.

There are also the obstacles the city creates. It took Taylor a year to get through the design approval process for the home he’s building on Ninth Street.

But so much is better than it was. Cyndy Lutz, a longtime affordable-housing apostle in southern Dallas, was on one of the buses. She saw a new light in part from improved city policy.

“For as much as we disparage [City Hall’s] 2018 housing policy, it changed the landscape of who got access to some of the lots. It really opened it up,” she said, referring to the city land bank of vacant repossessed lots.

That’s the overwhelming feeling from the tour, not just about the city land bank but about the southern Dallas development scene overall.

The process is opening up in the best way. There are more sources of funds. There are more ideas for ways to mix affordable and market-rate housing. There is a better mix of homes.

At the heart of that is a group of smart, community-focused developers who care about the place where they are building. We need them, and we need more like them. Their visions are our future.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPERS ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED BY INNOVAN NEIGHBORHOODS

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:53:51 GMT

Fifteen impact-oriented developers selected to participate in inaugural cohort

(left to right - first row):

Jasmond Anderson, JASZ Studio; Jay Taylor, Juxta Developments; Brandon Ward, Bidgigz LLC; Ferrell Fellows, Kingdom Legacy Development Company; Jason Brown, Dallas City Homes; Maggie Parker, Innovan Neighborhoods; Olga Lopez, CIMA Holding Group; Patrice Jefferson, SDMC Investments, LLC; Simeon Henderson, Innovan Neighborhoods

(left to right - second row/stairs):

Scottie Smith, II, Shekinah Legacy Holdings; Annie Evans, SouthFair Community Development Corporation; Queenetra Andrews, Andrews Development & Holdings LLC; James Armstrong, III, Builders of Hope Development Corporation; Valerie Ballard, Operation Tiny House; Demont Campbell, Urban Nest Development; Jordan D'Silva, Web City Properties; Marc Henderson, Exodus Development Group

Innovan Neighborhoods is pleased to announce the inaugural cohort of the Community Developers Roundtable (CDR). Launched by Maggie Parker of Innovan Neighborhoods, the CDR addresses gaps in the community development ecosystem by offering a long-term, developer-led structure with ongoing feedback and accountability to community-oriented development projects. Fifteen community-oriented real estate developers were selected to participate in the program, which includes a projected $1 million dedicated pre-development fund, staff capacity stipends, and financial resources for technical assistance, including professional coaching and project feasibility studies. The program is in collaboration with BCL of Texas with funding support from JP Morgan Chase. Other funders include Tolleson Wealth Management, Bank of Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Charles Schwab, Muse Family Foundation, the State Fair of Texas, and Comerica Bank.

The CDR will serve as a collective learning, networking, and funding opportunity for existing diverse nonprofit and for-profit community-oriented real estate developers. The members of the inaugural cohort are:

Jasmond Anderson, JASZ Studio
Queenetra Andrews, Andrews Development & Holdings LLC
James Armstrong, III, Builders of Hope Development Corporation
Valerie Ballard, Operation Tiny House
Jason Brown, Dallas City Homes
Demont Campbell, Urban Nest Development
Jordan D'Silva, Web City Properties
Annie Evans, SouthFair Community Development Corporation
Ferrell Fellows, Kingdom Legacy Development Company
Marc Henderson, Exodus Development Group
Patrice Jefferson, SDMC Investments, LLC
Olga Lopez, CIMA Holding Group
Scottie Smith, II, Shekinah Legacy Holdings
Jay Taylor, Juxta Developments
Brandon Ward, Bidgigz LLC

Combined, the fifteen participants have constructed or rehabbed over 430 single-family units, completed 24 small/mid-size multifamily projects, and 25 commercial retail projects. The participants have over 500 single-family units, 230 multifamily units, and nine commercial real estate projects in the collective pipeline. Dallas continues to see an increased need for diverse developers to lead revitalization throughout the city. “We can learn different ways of thinking that will open new doors and possibilities. We want to have equal opportunities to capital, contracts, and build generational wealth while solving for and improving community success,” said Olga Lopez, CDR participant and CEO/Founder of CIMA Holding Group, LLC.

The initial session of the CDR was held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, and hosted at the offices of The Beck Group in downtown Dallas. Participants heard from Printice Gary, founding partner and CEO of Carleton Residential Properties, Jeff Forbes of The Beck Group, and industry experts Steve Goldin and Jay Haigler. “Being included in this group of amazing developers and real estate professionals will not only help me scale and build capacity as a developer but also help me expand my reach and impact in the South Dallas Community that I serve,” said Scottie Smith, II, CDR participant and CEO of Shekinah Legacy Holdings.

The CDR will meet monthly through June 2023 for eight sessions and includes two additional networking events.

CDR Featured on Dallas Innovates

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:27:27 GMT

Innovan Neighborhoods Launches Community Developers Roundtable to Fuel ‘Catalytic Real Estate Development’

Dallas Innovates, September 21, 2022 - BY KEVIN CUMMINGS

A new initiative is looking to tackle one of the region’s more pressing real estate issues—the need for more affordable housing—while accelerating the revitalization of underserved communities around Dallas.

Led by local developer and consulting firm Innovan Neighborhoods, the Community Developers Roundtable aims to serve as a collective learning, networking, and funding opportunity for both nonprofit and for-profit local developers.

“Across Dallas, there’s a need to build capacity for existing and rising community-oriented developers, specifically people of color, bringing innovative solutions to increase housing affordability and community-based amenities in historically distressed communities,” Maggie Parker, Innovan Neighborhoods founder and managing partner, told Dallas Innovates via email.

‘We can see neighborhoods and communities set up for success’

Targeting community-oriented developers of color, the roundtable will provide monthly networking for members to share financial resources, get updates on local policies affecting the industry, and align “opportunities for catalytic real estate development” across various parts of the city. Parker said it will also provide members with ongoing feedback and accountability.

To help with that goal, Innovan has raised funding from JPMorgan Chase, for which BCL of Texas will act as a fund manager and fiscal sponsor, for a projected $1 million pre-development fund, staff capacity stipends, and financial resources for technical assistance for roundtable members. Parker said she hopes the “flexible capital” will help to increase the pipeline of community revitalization projects in the region.

“When we put funds and resources behind innovative solutions, we can see neighborhoods and communities set up for long-term success,” Parker said.

Roundtable will include up to 15 members

Innovan began accepting applications for roundtable members at the beginning of the month, with a deadline for applications at the end of this week. Ultimately, the roundtable is looking to have 10 to 15 members focused on projects including affordable single-family and multifamily housing and commercial real estate in “underserved or distressed areas.”

“Empowering a diverse pool of developers will allow increased possibilities to address community concerns, including minimal attainable housing options, fear of displacement, and loss of community assets like community-led grocers and retailers,” Parker said.

Addressing a real estate market ‘in flux’

Parker said the current rental and for-sale markets are “in flux” because of inflation and new residents moving to the region, both of which are driving the need for more access to quality affordable housing and “neighborhood-based commercial spaces.” Through the two-year pilot of the roundtable, Parker said she hopes to strengthen the ecosystem’s long-term project pipeline, while acting as a collective voice for community-focused developers.

“Innovan is successful when there are more developers like myself—a woman and person of color from the community, with a heart to serve and starting real estate connections from scratch—have the patient capital, resources, and partnerships to move community-oriented development projects forward,” Parker said. “The roundtable is a formal manifestation of that vision as we hope to strengthen the community development ecosystem for generations to come, by both developing catalytic projects and supporting like-minded organizations.”

Launch Event Photo Gallery

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:48:17 GMT

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Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:15:32 GMT

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Innovan Neighborhoods Hosts Kickoff for Community Developers Roundtable

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:52:29 GMT

Dallas based development firm Innovan Neighborhoods leads effort to support existing community-oriented real estate developers

September 16, 2022 – Innovan Neighborhoods recently hosted the kickoff of their Community Developers Roundtable on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. This event brought together local commercial and residential developers, bankers, elected officials and community members to learn about needs facing developers of color in the real estate community and how this new roundtable would help address those needs. The event focused on the power of local, targeted investment to change underserved communities and people forever.

“I am always so inspired by the people who come out to support the mission and vision of Innovan Neighborhoods,” said Maggie Parker, founder and CEO of Innovan Neighborhoods. “Our belief in a people centered approach to development is what brought about the roundtable. I know that alongside our partners BCL of Texas & JPMorgan Chase we have the ability to truly transform whole communities."

Sponsors for the community developers roundtable event include: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of Texas, Allyn Media, Charles Schwab Bank, Comerica Bank, Communities Foundation of Texas, State Fair of Texas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas & Tolleson Private Bank. A full list of sponsors & partners can be found here .

Those interested in being a part of the roundtable are encouraged to apply by September 23, 2022. Visit https://www.communitydevelopersroundtable.com for more information.

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About Innovan Neighborhoods

Founded in 2019, Innovan Neighborhoods is a people-centered development and consulting firm whose mission is to advance community-anchored real estate development through innovative, collaborative solutions. In partnership with Matthews Southwest, Innovan Neighborhoods works to build and strengthen neighborhoods in concert with community stakeholders, from joint ventures for affordable single-family homes to leading phased, master-planning development strategies in transitioning neighborhoods throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. Innovan has a $100 million pipeline of affordable housing and small business-anchored development totaling 360+ units. We have also helped community partners position and/or secure over $15 million of investments for revitalization across DFW.

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Dallas firm launches community developer roundtable for affordable housing solutions

Plamedie Ifasso

Dallas Business Journal | September 7, 2022

Dallas-based real estate development firm Innovan Neighborhoods is establishing a community developers roundtable aimed at creating and supporting more affordable housing in Dallas.

Partnering with BCL of Texas, the roundtable will act as a collective learning, funding and networking opportunity for developers and nonprofit organizations and provide resources needed to lead affordable housing and community-based real estate projects.

“For me, Innovan is successful when I can help position other people to have the same opportunity that I'm having, which is to take on community-based projects with patient capital and with really great partnerships,” Innovan Neighborhoods founder and managing partner Maggie Parker . “The roundtable is a foray into completing that mission because we are ensuring that those who are already doing the work have increased capacity for doing more impactful work. That (work) includes not just us meeting and having conversations (but as well as) putting strong partnerships around them (and) ensuring that we have really flexible funding around them.”

The roundtable will start as a two-year pilot, and members will meet monthly for about nine months to get updates on local policies, network with other developers and get connected to resources including a projected $1 million dedicated pre-development fund, staff capacity stipends and financial resources for technical assistance such as project feasibility studies and professional coaching.

Innovan is currently accepting applications to the CDR, and Parker said the firm is looking for developers who already have community-focused projects in their pipeline.

“We target that via product types, so either they’re working on single family for buyers up to 120% of AMI, multifamily for up to 80% of AMI or building commercial real estate that is located in an underserved or distressed area,” Parker said. “We are primarily focused on people of color that are leading these organizations because these are the folks that are often representing and are from these underserved areas, so how do we support people building in their own communities as well? Those are the key criteria that we’re looking at, but we do have a three-phase selection process.”

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