The CRE Professor

A few years ago, I had the privilege of working with the late, great Tommy Pacello—a lawyer, urban planner, and Memphis visionary who believed that revitalizing neighborhoods didn’t require a billion-dollar master plan. Just a few determined locals, a couple of duplexes, and maybe a barbecue to keep morale high.

It was through Tommy that I met Robert Gibbs, author of Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development, and got introduced to the Incremental Development Alliance—a movement that’s quietly revolutionizing how we think about cities. Their message? Change doesn’t have to be big to be transformative.

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The Case for Thinking Small

After World War II, we somehow forgot how to build in human-sized bites. We stopped building duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes—the humble, neighborhood-friendly housing types that used to knit together every American community.

Instead, we went big. Subdivisions. Shopping malls. Power centers. (Trust me, I helped lease a few of those.) The problem is, these projects often created sprawl without soul—and they didn’t always leave behind strong, resilient tax bases.

You see, a single “big box” store might look impressive, but when you compare its tax revenue per acre to that of a small main street with multiple small-scale buildings, the difference is staggering. Studies from Strong Towns show that smaller, denser development consistently generates more property tax per acre while costing cities less to maintain.

So, the math and the meaning both point in the same direction: smaller is smarter.

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What Is Incremental Development, Anyway?

Incremental development means growing places one building at a time—a duplex here, a rehabbed corner store there. It’s development that’s locally driven, financially attainable, and deeply personal.

It’s what Andre Jones is doing with his Malone Park project in the Greenlaw neighborhood of Memphis. Andre’s not a big institutional developer with a high-rise crane; he’s a small, local builder with a vision for housing diversity and community pride. I recently took my University of Memphis real estate students on a field trip to meet Andre, because I believe the best way to learn development isn’t from a textbook—it’s from someone with dirt on their boots and passion in their heart.

(And yes, college field trips are still the best part of the job—especially when students realize that “developer” doesn’t have to mean “Donald Trump.”)

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Why It Matters

The incremental approach democratizes development. You don’t need a pension fund or a tower crane—you need patience, persistence, and a little bit of financing creativity.

Small developers can: ✅ Build and own small properties in their own neighborhoods. ✅ Take smaller risks with smaller loans. ✅ Create housing diversity that supports teachers, nurses, and firefighters—not just luxury renters. ✅ Keep profits (and pride) local.

And from the community’s perspective, incremental projects mean:

• More housing choice. (Not everyone wants—or can afford—a single-family house.)
• More walkable, connected neighborhoods.
• More resilient local economies.

It’s the real estate version of “buy local”—build local.

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The Barriers (and How We Break Them)

Of course, this isn’t easy. The biggest villain in this story isn’t a greedy developer—it’s the zoning code.

Most of America’s zoning laws still act like it’s 1955, only allowing single-family homes on large lots. That means the very housing types we need most—duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small mixed-use buildings—are literally illegal in most neighborhoods.

Cities like Minneapolis, Portland, and Houston have started to change that, reforming zoning to allow “missing middle” housing again. In fact, states like Oregon, California, Memphis and Washington have passed legislation requiring cities to permit more middle-density housing by right.

The results? 📉 Lower rent growth. 📈 More neighborhood stability. ❤️ A lot more community engagement.

Even the AARP has joined the fight, noting that missing middle housing provides flexible options for aging adults, young professionals, and families priced out of single-family homes.

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Memphis: A Model in the Making

Here in Memphis, we’re not sitting still either. Our city has created a growing ecosystem for small developers through programs like REDI – the Real Estate Diversity Initiative, which provides training and mentorship for emerging developers from underrepresented backgrounds.

It’s one thing to change zoning codes. It’s another to change mindsets. That’s where REDI, the Incremental Development Alliance, and passionate folks like Andre Jones are making a difference. They’re helping people see themselves as developers—as caretakers of their own neighborhoods.

As Tommy Pacello used to say, “We can’t wait for someone else to save our city. We’ve got to do it ourselves.”

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Lessons from The CRE Professor’s Notebook

When I was in college, professors taught me to think in terms of skyscrapers and shopping Malls . But life taught me that the best developers start small—one tenant, one building, one block at a time.

And here’s the secret no one tells you: small projects can be just as profitable (sometimes more) than big ones. They’re flexible, repeatable, and low-risk. They allow you to experiment, make mistakes early, and learn fast.

After all, if a duplex doesn’t lease up right away, you’re stressed. But if a mall doesn’t lease up—you’re in therapy.

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The Big Picture of Thinking Small

At its core, small incremental development isn’t just about real estate—it’s about agency. It’s about empowering local people to shape their communities, build wealth, and preserve character.

It’s about patching the urban fabric that large-scale development often tears.

It’s about building neighborhoods that feel like home—not investment portfolios.

And it’s about remembering that the strongest cities aren’t built overnight. They’re built bit by bit, by people who love where they live.

As the Incremental Development Alliance says:

“Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her.” – G.K. Chesterton

So maybe the best thing we can do for our cities—whether it’s Memphis or your own hometown—is to start small. One building, one student, one project at a time.

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Special Thanks

To Tommy Pacello, for inspiring a incremental development movement in Memphis. To Andre Jones, for showing my students what small but mighty looks like. To the REDI program, for building the next generation of neighborhood developers. And to all the small builders, dreamers, and doers—keep making your corner of the world just a little better. That’s how the real revolutions begin.

About The CRE Professor

Shawn Massey wears two hats — one academic and one hard hat. By day, he’s a retail real estate advisor with TSCG, helping clients find the perfect corner for their next big idea. By night (and often in the same blazer), he’s an adjunct professor at The University of Memphis, where he teaches future dealmakers the fine art of real estate development and investment — minus the boring parts.

Shawn’s the rare breed who can explain a cap rate, quote Mark Twain, and make a zoning map sound like a plot twist. He holds a stack of designations that would make alphabet soup jealous: CCIM, ALC, CRRP, CLS, and SCLS — all proof that he’s as serious about commercial real estate as he is about coffee and corny real estate jokes.

When he’s not teaching, touring, or talking retail trends, you’ll probably find him mentoring young professionals, championing community development, or crafting his next blog post as “The CRE Professor.”

📞 Call: (901) 461-7070 📧 Email: shawn.massey@tscg.com