About
Danny Heggen
Principal
I've spent 13 years developing housing across the Midwest — more than $500 million in total development, $140 million in the last five years, and a current pace of $30 million a year as a partner at DEV Partners.
I've structured deals using virtually every workforce housing tool there is: Tax Increment Financing, tax abatement, Iowa Workforce Housing Tax Credits across 11 projects, Redevelopment Tax Credits, Federal and State Historic Tax Credits, Destination Iowa, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, and more. In 2025 alone, I contested seven appraisals on rural projects — seven times that a financing gap, built on bad comps, nearly killed a project the workforce needed. That pattern is what created the Workforce Rent Affordability methodology.
HRI is the system I wished existed when I started: a proprietary research platform covering 6,271 cities and 26,749 ZIP codes, built over 10 months on top of 13 years of direct development experience. Housing Pressure Index scores. Workforce rental projections. Incentive mapping. Employment analysis. Now available to a select group of developers, banks, and cities who want the same edge.
The approach
HRI is not a consulting firm that sells opinions. It is a research institute backed by a proprietary national database. Every recommendation is data-driven, every source is cited, and every deliverable is built to withstand scrutiny — from bank examiners, city councils, and investment committees.
Engagements are limited by design. This is not a volume practice. Every client gets direct access to the principal, the platform, and the methodology.
The same system.
Now available to you.