SMALL SCALE - BIG IMPACT | Building Colorado’s Future Through Small Scale Development

Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI), in partnership with Building Small,  is launching an exciting new Small Scale Developer Program to empower Colorado’s “accidental developers” and equip them with the tools, training, and confidence to bring locally-driven projects to life.

Colorado communities need more than big projects and outside investment. They need local entrepreneurs  who can deliver housing, businesses, and places that reflect community character while preserving the spaces we love. This program bridges the gap between vision and action, helping small developers learn important skills to unlock new opportunities for historic preservation and adaptive reuse.

Through personal skill review, case studies, and shared lessons, participants will gain practical skills and connections to move their projects forward, drawing on the unique tools and approaches championed by Building Small. Together, we’ll show how small-scale development can deliver big results for Colorado’s downtowns.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

• Small Coach ® Workshop | Hands-on coaching and training for Small Scale Developers based on the principles of Building Small.

• Small Developers meet the Colorado Challenge Communities | Following a day of hands-on problem solving and developing a stronger pitch, the 2026 Colorado Challenge Cohort will present projects to a room of developers to garner feedback and potential partners. 

• Small Scale Developer Stories | A series of webinars and case studies, developed using Building Small’s unique format, and featuring Colorado developers who are reimagining small projects, from housing to adaptive reuse.  These fast paced segments will share challenges, key decisions, leverage points for success and lessons learned.

• Public Challenge to Private Small Scale Solution | Use these dialogues to explore the ways that communities can incentivize small developers to get creative on challenging sites and areas of town.