What DM Development does

DM Development is a privately held, San Francisco-based real estate development and investment firm founded in 2010 by Danielle Dignan (Chairman) and Mark MacDonald (CEO). The firm specializes in residential real estate, developing mid-rise condominiums, apartments, and mixed-use projects that combine bold architectural design with progressive sustainability features such as exterior louvers, green roofs, solar photovoltaic infrastructure, and reclaimed materials. DM Development has built or has under development approximately 19 residential projects across the San Francisco Bay Area, with selected expansions into West Hollywood, Oakland, Denver, and Costa Rica, plus a single international vacation-home project (The Reserve).

The firm's product portfolio spans market-rate luxury condominiums (e.g., 8 Octavia, 400 Grove, Union House, 815 Tennessee, 450 Hayes) and, more recently, 100% affordable housing (300 De Haro Street with MRK Partners). Projects are delivered in joint venture with strategic partners including DDG Partners, Faring, MRK Partners, Urban Land Development, and Grosvenor Americas (which provided $35.5 million in structured financing in 2017). Capital stack participants include Grosvenor Americas and First Republic Bank, while luxury sales are channeled through Douglas Elliman Development Marketing.

DM Development generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of residential units on a per-project basis at completion or during pre-sale, with unit prices historically ranging from $885,000 to over $3,000 per square foot. The firm operates with a lean team of 1–10 employees, sourced as an LLC headquartered at 188 Octavia Street, San Francisco. Its go-to-market relies heavily on earned media through architectural and real estate publications, an in-house design and sustainability brand, and selective broker partnerships for luxury inventory. The firm has no disclosed institutional equity backing and is founder-controlled.

Name

DM Development

Legal name

DM Development Partners, LLC

Website

https://dm-dev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DM Development is a privately held San Francisco real estate developer founded in 2010 that builds design-forward, sustainable residential condominiums, apartments, and mixed-use projects across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver for individual buyers and affordable housing partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Residential Building Construction (23611), Land Subdivision (23721)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Residential real estate development
• Condominium development
• Affordable housing development
• Mixed-use real estate
• Sustainable architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Sales: DM Development generates revenue through the sale of residential units including condominiums, apartments, and mixed-use developments. Revenue is generated on a per-unit basis at project completion or during pre-sales. The company also develops affordable housing projects, and has expanded into the 100% affordable housing segment at 300 De Haro Street.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DM Development is a San Francisco-based real estate development and investment firm that develops, designs, and sells residential real estate projects. The firm's core offering is the planning, construction, and sale of market-rate condominiums, apartments, and mixed-use residential buildings, with a recent expansion into 100% affordable housing. Projects are characterized by collaborations with visionary architects and the integration of progressive sustainability features such as exterior louvers, green roofs, solar photovoltaic systems, and reclaimed materials.

Product overview

DM Development is a real estate development and investment firm based in San Francisco that creates residential projects combining bold architectural design with progressive sustainability features. The company operates as a portfolio of individual development projects rather than a unified software product or platform. Their portfolio includes luxury condominiums and apartments in San Francisco neighborhoods (Hayes Valley, Dogpatch, Marina, Cow Hollow, Potrero Hill, Mission), an affordable housing development (300 De Haro Street), a Los Angeles/West Hollywood project (The Harland), and international vacation homes in Costa Rica (The Reserve). Projects are developed in collaboration with various architectural firms and development partners, with sustainability features such as exterior louvers for energy efficiency, green roofs, solar photovoltaic systems, and sustainable materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 8 Octavia (Octavia Gateway) A 47-unit residential condominium building at the corner of Market Street and Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco, designed by Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects; completed in 2014.
• 400 Grove A 34-residence condominium project at the corner of Grove and Gough Streets in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, designed by Fougeron Architecture; awarded 2016 Best of Design Award for Residential Multi-Unit by The Architect's Newspaper.
• 450 Hayes A 41-unit mixed-use condominium development in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, designed by Handel Architects, featuring modern townhouses and one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences.
• 815 Tennessee A 69-unit condominium building in Dogpatch, San Francisco, offering one-, two-, and three-bedroom units with a roof deck; units priced from $885,000 for one-bedroom and $1.1 million for two-bedroom, averaging around $1,300 per square foot.
• 702 Doheny (The Harland West Hollywood) A 37-unit luxury residential development in West Hollywood, California, designed by R&A Architecture + Design with interiors by Marmol Radziner; developed in partnership with Faring.
• 300 De Haro Street An 11-story, 425-unit 100% affordable housing development in Potrero Hill, San Francisco, developed in partnership with MRK Partners using tax credit financing for households earning 30%-70% of area median income.
• 321 Florida A 168-unit apartment project in San Francisco's Mission District, developed in partnership with Urban Land Development and Urban Land Capital on a former parking lot site.
• 1717 Bronson A 128-unit apartment building proposed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, developed in partnership with Alex Massachi of Massachi Industries.
• 585 17th Street A proposed eight-story mixed-use development with 94 apartments in Downtown Oakland, including affordable units and ground-floor retail; expected completion 2025.
• 85 West Portal (Empire Theater Redevelopment) A proposed nine-story mixed-use redevelopment in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood, transforming the Empire Theater into 64 rental homes with ground-floor retail; expected completion 2028.
• The Reserve (Santa Teresa, Costa Rica) Vacation homes in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, part of a master-planned eco-community with 28 residential units overlooking the Pacific Ocean, designed by Assembledge+.
• 2919 Laguna Street A boutique two-unit residential project in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood, featuring modern design with green roof and solar photovoltaic infrastructure.
• Union House (1515 Union Street) A 41-unit luxury condo community at 1515 Union Street in San Francisco's Cow Hollow, completed in 2020 at a cost of $120 million; achieved a 2020 San Francisco record of $3,015 per square foot for a penthouse residence.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jesse AppletonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2026DM Development is collaborating with ownership group led by Jesse Appleton, whose family has owned the Empire Theater property for over 100 years, for the 85 West Portal redevelopment into 64 residential units.
• MRK PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2025Joint venture partnership for 300 De Haro Street affordable housing project in Potrero Hill. MRK Partners and DM Development are jointly responsible for this 425-unit, 11-story 100% affordable housing development. State Senator Scott Weiner attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
• Alex Massachi / Massachi IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2021Hollywood development partnership with Alex Massachi of Massachi Industries for 128-unit apartment building at 1717 Bronson Avenue in Los Angeles. The project received preliminary approval from Los Angeles Planning Commission.
• Urban Land Development and Urban Land CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2021Joint venture for 321 Florida project in The Mission District, bringing 168 apartments plus retail art space and underground parking to a former parking lot.
• Douglas Elliman Development MarketingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 July 2018Douglas Elliman handles exclusive sales and marketing for The Harland West Hollywood luxury development. The Altman Brothers at Douglas Elliman joined the sales team for this project.
• FaringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2018Co-development partnership with Faring for The Harland West Hollywood, a 37-unit luxury residential development at 702 N. Doheny Drive. Faring and DM Development collaborated on this mid-century modern inspired project with architecture by R&A Architecture and interiors by Marmol Radziner.
• DDG PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2010San Francisco-based DM Development partnered with New York-based DDG Partners (a design-first real estate investment and development company) for Hayes Valley projects including 400 Grove, 450 Hayes, and 8 Octavia. DDG and DM acquired Hayes Valley parcels from the city for combined $8 million. The partnership represents DM Development's first West Coast market entry for DDG.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faring: Boutique design-focused luxury residential developer. Faring co-developed The Harland West Hollywood with DM Development, and shares a comparable focus on architect-led, design-forward residential product in supply-constrained urban markets.
• Sares-Regis Group: California-based residential developer specializing in multifamily and mixed-use communities. Comparable in product type and West Coast geographic focus, though operating at a larger scale.
• DDG Partners: Design-first real estate investment and development firm based in New York. DDG is a direct peer and active co-development partner with DM Development on Hayes Valley projects (400 Grove, 450 Hayes, 8 Octavia, Parcel T), sharing the same architectural-quality, urban-infill thesis.
• TMG Partners: San Francisco-based residential and mixed-use developer with deep Bay Area expertise. Comparable by geography, product focus on urban housing, and similar mid-sized boutique profile to DM Development.
• Trumark Urban: Bay Area-focused residential developer building for-sale and for-rent homes in the SF Bay Area and Seattle. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and product type (urban infill townhomes and condos).
• Carmel Partners: Multifamily developer with significant California presence including Bay Area. Comparable in product type (multifamily housing) and West Coast urban focus, with both market-rate and affordable segments.
• MRK Partners: Affordable and mixed-income housing developer. MRK is DM Development's JV partner on the 425-unit 300 De Haro affordable project, and represents the closest comparable in the affordable housing segment DM Development is pivoting toward.

Broad incumbents

• Toll Brothers: National luxury homebuilder with West Coast operations. Comparable at the industry level as a premium residential developer, though product type (luxury single-family suburban) and scale differ materially from DM Development's urban multifamily focus.
• Lennar Corporation: One of the largest U.S. homebuilders operating across multiple markets. Comparable only at the broad industry level as a for-sale residential developer; operates at materially larger scale and with a different product focus than DM Development's urban infill thesis.
• The Related Companies: Major diversified real estate developer with significant affordable and mixed-income housing operations. Comparable at the broad industry level and increasingly relevant as DM Development pivots into affordable housing, though Related operates at a far larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dm-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/dm_development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 DM Development