Event Recap: Built It Green “Dream BIG, Build Small” Showcase – El Cerrito

On Sunday, Housing Action Coalition (HAC) and ONYX Equity Partners attended the Built It Green Dream BIG, Build Small Showcase in El Cerrito, a capstone event of the 2025 Small Development Incubator program. The showcase convened small-scale residential developers, builders, designers, and housing innovators to share practical tools, resources, and connections that support infill and small residential projects across the Bay Area.

HAC participated to connect directly with early-stage and scaling developers and to promote the Developer Pathway Program, delivered in partnership with ONYX Equity Partners. The program is designed to support emerging developers, developers of color, and women and gender-expansive developers as they work to bring housing projects forward, with a focus on navigating entitlement, financing, and advocacy challenges. The event’s emphasis on small-scale development, electrification, and neighborhood-serving housing closely aligned with HAC’s mission to advance housing at all income levels through smart policy, strong projects, and inclusive development pathways.

Throughout the event, HAC engaged with developers and housing professionals carrying real sites and early-stage concepts who are seeking clearer, more navigable paths from vision to feasibility. Many conversations surfaced shared barriers, including navigating local approval processes, assembling effective project teams, and accessing the right mix of technical and advocacy support—areas the Developer Pathway Program is intentionally designed to address.

Overall, the showcase offered a valuable opportunity to increase visibility for HAC’s work, strengthen relationships within the small-developer ecosystem, and reinforce HAC’s role as a connector between emerging developers, technical experts, and the broader pro-housing movement.