Building Small: A discussion of pocket neighborhoods
June 26, 2024
This event has passed, but you can watch the recording above!
Join us to continue the discussion of pocket neighborhoods, small, incremental, infill projects that build community. Jim Heid and Ann Edminster will offer their thoughts as a developer and a resident of North Bay pocket neighborhoods, a conversation that will also lead to potential changes in Petaluma's General Plan update and zoning codes to better facilitate pocket neighborhoods.
In his groundbreaking book, Building Small: A Toolkit for Real Estate Entrepreneurs, Civic Leaders, and Great Communities, Jim Heid explores how we can move from building homes as commodities to a focus on building communities. At this forum, he'll share his experiences as a developer in Sonoma County and offer some keys to shifting the development dialog in Petaluma.
If you missed the Ross Chapin form on pocket neighborhoods, you can view a recording of the event here.
About our speakers
Jim Heid is an infill developer and sustainable development advisor based in Sonoma County, California. Known for his aspirational but practical approach, he works with a range of tools and best practices to communicate the value of inspired design and sustainability within the realities of local market norms.
Trained as a landscape architect, Jim received a Masters in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a way to more effectively integrate economics, development and design thinking.
Ann Edminster is A member of the City's Climate Action Commission, and a zero-energy/emissions consultant, educator, and author. She's also a resident of Keller Court Commons, the nearest development to a Petaluma pocket neighborhood.
After earning a B.S. in architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Ann started her own business, Design AVEnues. 100+ home remodels later, Ann decided to focus on environmental solutions before green building was even a thing. She returned to school and earned an M.Arch. at UC Berkeley, focusing on energy, materials, and housing – the same core passions that drive her today.
