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  • 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:

List of Services

From Intimidation to Insight: Financial Fundamentals for Community Developers

November 28, 2025
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

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

November 4, 2025
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.

Affordable housing networking program connects Fort Worth’s developers

By Asheya Warren • October 22, 2025
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. 
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