What DMB Development does

DMB Development is a privately held master-planned community developer headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 1994 and operating for more than 30 years. The company specializes in the entitlement, planning, and development of large-scale residential communities, luxury golf club communities, and mixed-use developments across the western United States, with a recently announced expansion into North Carolina and Mexico. Its portfolio of 20+ communities includes Rancho Mission Viejo (23,000 acres, 14,000 entitled homes), Ladera Ranch (6,774 homes on 4,000 acres), Power Ranch, Santaluz, Glenwild, Lahontan, and Martis Camp, as well as mixed-use projects such as One Scottsdale and Centerpoint on Mill. DMB generates revenue primarily through the sale of residential lots and home sites to third-party homebuilders and custom home builders, supplemented by community amenity development and lifestyle programming; end consumers are typically affluent residential buyers seeking high-end communities with premium amenities.

The company's go-to-market is partnership-driven: it collaborates with landowners and families (e.g., the Moiso-O'Neill Family for Rancho Mission Viejo) and strategic brand partners, most notably Disney for the Storyliving by Disney initiative. Through this partnership, DMB has developed Cotino in Rancho Mirage, California (the first Storyliving by Disney community) and announced Asteria in Pittsboro, North Carolina (1,500 acres, 4,000+ residential units designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, with home sales anticipated to begin fall 2027). Distribution is conducted through on-site community sales centers and community-specific websites. The company is structured as a private LLC with 11-50 employees, operates with no parent company or disclosed institutional backing, and is led by Drew Brown as CEO, Chairman, and Founding Partner. DMB's brand has been recognized by the National Association of Home Builders and by Ranking Arizona, where Power Ranch was named Best Master Planned Community for four consecutive years.

Name

DMB Development

Legal name

DMB Development LLC

Website

https://dmbdevelopment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DMB Development is a privately held Scottsdale-based master-planned community developer that has built 20+ luxury residential, golf, and mixed-use communities across the western U.S. over 30+ years, partnering with landowners, homebuilders, and Disney (Storyliving) to serve affluent residential buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Master-planned community development

NAICS

Land Subdivision (2372), Land Subdivision (23721), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Master-planned communities
• Residential real estate development
• Luxury golf communities
• Mixed-use development
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Lot Sales: DMB Development generates revenue primarily through the sale of residential lots and home sites within master-planned communities. For Asteria (North Carolina), home sales are anticipated to begin fall 2027.
2. Community Development and Management: Revenue is generated through the development and management of master-planned residential communities, including amenities, clubhouses, and lifestyle programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DMB Development is a master-planned community developer that plans, builds, and manages large-scale residential, golf, and mixed-use communities across the United States. The company sells residential lots and homesites to builders and end buyers within communities that include amenities such as golf courses, clubhouses, parks, trails, and lifestyle programming, and it develops branded communities through strategic partnerships (e.g., Disney's Storyliving by Disney Cotino and Asteria).

Product overview

DMB Development is a master-planned community developer with over 30 years of experience creating residential communities across the United States. Their portfolio includes luxury golf club communities (Glenwild, Lahontan, Martis Camp), large-scale master-planned residential developments (Santaluz, Ladera Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, Power Ranch), mixed-use urban developments (One Scottsdale, Centerpoint on Mill), and branded residential communities (Cotino/Storyliving by Disney, Asteria). The company's model emphasizes open space preservation, community connectivity, and partnerships with landowners and local governments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Asteria: A new residential community being developed in Pittsboro, North Carolina, in partnership with Disney's Storyliving by Disney initiative. Spanning 1,500 acres with plans for over 4,000 residential units.
• Cotino

Products and services

• Santaluz

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Disney (Storyliving by Disney)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMB Development is the developer partner for Storyliving by Disney communities. They developed Cotino in Rancho Mirage, CA (the first Storyliving community) and are developing Asteria in Pittsboro, NC. Disney provides branded experiences and programming while DMB handles community development, planning, and construction.
• Moiso-O'Neill FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Moiso-O'Neill Family partnered with DMB to develop Rancho Mission Viejo, preserving 75% of the 23,000-acre property as open space while entitled for 14,000 homes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Woodside Homes: Regional homebuilder active in master-planned communities across the western U.S., including several DMB-developed communities. Comparable as a homebuilder channel partner within the DMB ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• D.R. Horton: Largest U.S. homebuilder and active acquirer of finished lots in MPCs across Sun Belt markets. Comparable as both a customer (lot buyer) and a peer in residential land development via its Forestar subsidiary.
• Toll Brothers: Largest U.S. luxury homebuilder with national footprint, often participating as the homebuilder-of-record inside MPCs. Comparable to DMB as a counterpart and channel partner in master-planned developments, though Toll operates as a builder rather than master developer.
• Taylor Morrison: Top-5 U.S. homebuilder with significant MPC activity in Arizona, California, Florida, and the Carolinas — all overlapping DMB geographies. Comparable as a homebuilder channel partner within DMB communities.

Direct peers

• Shea Homes: Long-standing Arizona/California-based homebuilder and master-planned community developer with luxury and active-adult product lines. Comparable to DMB in geography (Sun Belt focus) and luxury-segment positioning.
• TRI Pointe Group: Top-10 U.S. homebuilder with significant master-planned community exposure in California, Arizona, and the Carolinas. Comparable to DMB's regional footprint and for-sale residential builder relationships within MPCs.
• Discovery Land Company: Developer of luxury private club communities (e.g., Baha Mar, Kukio, Chileno Bay). Highly comparable to DMB's luxury golf and ski club communities such as Glenwild, Lahontan, and Martis Camp, with overlapping affluent buyer profile and amenity-driven model.
• Freeport Communities: Master-planned community developer operating primarily in the western U.S. with focus on conservation-oriented, amenity-rich residential communities. Directly comparable to DMB on business model and open-space preservation philosophy.
• FivePoint Holdings: Public master-planned community developer focused on large-scale California coastal communities (e.g., Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine). Directly comparable to DMB in business model — selling lots to homebuilders within entitlements they master-develop — and one of the only public pure-play MPC developers.
• Howard Hughes Holdings: Owns and develops master-planned communities including The Woodlands (TX), Summerlin (NV), Bridgeland (TX), and Ward Village (HI). Closest publicly-traded peer to DMB given its MPC-focused business model and premium community positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DMB Development