Small developer workshops offer economic, career growth for Michiganders

To create new economic opportunities for Michiganders, the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority is offering workshops and training seminars to help increase the number of local land developers. The Incremental Development Alliance will work to recruit additional local real estate developers to produce small-scale projects. "Michigan is currently facing a shortage of local real estate developers, and these seminars are a great opportunity for residents to get involved in their communities and help create more economic opportunities for the region," Michigan Land Bank Director Josh Burgett said. "Our hope is that once these developers complete their training, they look at properties available through Land Banks across Michigan as some of their first redevelopment projects." Currently, the state of Michigan faces a shortage of small-scale project developers. These workshops will recruit locals with all levels of experience to learn the fundamentals of formulating a small real estate project. Municipalities who have signed on to participate and their respective county land banks will receive in-depth technical assistance. Starting in February, participants who previously attended a Small Developer Seminar can sign up for the Small Developer Boot Camp. Building on the previous workshops, the Small Developer Boot Camp gives participants an opportunity to apply training to a development project. This includes selection of building formats and plans, refining their pro forma, creating an investor proposal package and drawing out the zoning parameters for their lot. Participants can also practice pitching their project to the group and instructors in order to get feedback in a supportive environment. Two Small Developer Seminars are still open for registration. Visit www.incrementaldevelopment.org/events/ to learn more. For additional information about Michigan Land Bank efforts to improve communities across the state, visit www.michigan.gov/LandBank. Published: Tue, Feb 05, 2019