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Developers Collaborative builds community by addressing Maine’s housing needs.
Housing needs in Maine are many. We provide high-quality locations for businesses along with housing for individuals through affordable and senior housing development, commercial, market-rate residential, historic redevelopment, and developments designed to provide services for the least fortunate among us. We have a long track record of innovative financing approaches to create purposeful development projects that might not be possible otherwise.
VISION
AND
VALUES
We’re not like most developers...
At Developers Collaborative our core values are based on the belief that a developer has great responsibility. The ways that we intervene in the built environment will affect peoples’ lives for a long time. We feel all developers owe it to their respective communities to do more than just make a piece of land or building generate the highest short-term financial return possible.
We make an extra effort to listen to neighbors and employ creative solutions in order to make successful places, employ a community-based approach to planning and building our projects, and frequently participate in public-private partnerships to achieve public goals.
Our vision is rooted in serving the community while creating financially viable developments. As real estate developers in Maine, it's what we do best, and we see smart growth as a primary vehicle to achieve it.
The core of our “smart growth” philosophy is simple: common sense applied to land use.
By providing new space for residents and businesses within town, village, and city centers, we are able to create development that is more financially advantageous to the community, more efficient, greener, healthier, and more responsible.
Read more about our application of smart growth principles below, and learn more about smart growth development from our founder Kevin Bunker through the lens of a signature project in this video:
More About Our Use of Smart Growth
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We strive to revitalize town centers and cities by guiding private investment into communities where people already live
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By using existing public infrastructure as effectively as possible, our developments should reduce the surrounding community’s tax burden
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Our focus on compact development helps reduce traffic by keeping trips short, reducing pollution in the environment
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By building mixed use developments we offer residents the chance to drive less, and the option of a more walkable, social, and healthy lifestyle
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Our restoration and incorporation of historic buildings into our developments creates new space for residents and businesses with less environmental impact than new construction, while preserving our past
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By focusing development in our town, village, and city centers, we can help preserve rural areas and open space nearby from unattractive sprawl-style developments
Stevens Square is a textbook example of a DC smart growth development, a revitalization of a 19-acre parcel at the heart of Portland’s existing infrastructure.
OUR TEAM
Developers Collaborative is a seasoned, talented team of professionals with varied yet overlapping skill sets, along with advanced educational and experiential backgrounds specific to urban planning, project finance and management, commercial development, and property management.
The DC Team shares common values and a passion for involvement in community based efforts reflective of each of our diverse interests.
Kevin Bunker
Founder and Principal
Kevin Bunker is a founding principal of Developers Collaborative. Kevin founded DC with Richard Berman after graduating with distinction in 2007 from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with a Master in Urban Planning degree. A former municipal planner and lobsterman in the Rockland area, Kevin is a principal on all of DC’s current projects, which have averaged about $45 million per year in recent years and run the gamut from residential to industrial. Kevin brings experience in complex financing models including tax increment financing, use of tax credits, and other public-private partnerships, all leading to creative projects that build community and strengthen the Maine economy in innovative ways. Kevin is also an activist promoting the causes of smart growth and downtowns at the state and local levels. He was the recipient of the City of Portland’s prestigious Economic Development Achievement Award in 2019. Kevin lives in Brunswick with his wife Amanda and their daughters Alex and Natalie.
Mike Lyne
Director of Commercial Real Estate
Mike Lyne provides oversight of many aspects of Developers Collaborative commercial real estate projects. He is also the operations lead for DC Management, and consults on a variety of third party developments on behalf of DC. Prior to joining the DC team, he was a project manager for JHR Development LLC, overseeing a mix of projects in Portland, Topsham, Bath and the development of Maine Street Station in Brunswick. A 1986 graduate of Bowdoin College, and a former Alaska Smokejumper, Mike likens the thrill of putting out fires with the adventures of commercial real estate development and management. He has a passion for Maine’s Downtowns and guiding small mixed use projects that blend the commercial, historic and cultural needs of the community. He coaches youth lacrosse and has volunteered on the boards of the Brunswick Downtown Association, The Brunswick Recreation Commission, and GrowSmart Maine. Mike lives in Brunswick with his wife Kameron and two sons, Nolan and Sean.
Laura Reading
Director of Affordable Housing
Laura Reading joined Developers Collaborative in 2013 after earning her Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Michigan. Laura brings experience in managing complex projects, creative problem solving and successful collaborations between urban planners, architects, and landscape architects. Day to day, Laura manages DC’s Affordable Housing division, overseeing each project from site selection, through approvals, financing, construction management to successful completion and turnover to property management. She lives on Peaks Island in Casco Bay, a three mile ferry ride to Portland.
Josh Trombley
Construction Services and Special Projects Manager
Josh Trombley provides development and construction-related services to preserve and expand the company’s commercial, affordable, and mixed-use portfolio. His work includes in-house construction management, maintenance and repair, and project management for both new development and preservation/rehab of existing properties. Before joining the DC team in 2015, Josh managed residential and commercial real estate for two local firms in Portland. He also owns and manages his own portfolio of residential real estate in the Portland area. In his free time, Josh enjoys being outdoors and trying new food. Josh lives in Cumberland with his wife Megan and daughter Caroline.
Shayna McGee
Director of Property Management
Shayna McGee joined Developers Collaborative in 2021 as Director of Property Management. She provides a variety of developer and tenant services throughout the company’s commercial, affordable and mixed-use portfolio. With an associate degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Husson College, Shayna honed her skills with a previous stint at DC, at Saco Falls Management and at Property Management Services of Maine before rejoining DC. She lives in Casco with her husband Matt and their four children. When not working they enjoy camping and swimming.
Greg Johnson
Accounting Manager
Greg Johnson joined Developers Collaborative as Accounting Manager in 2018 and oversees daily financial operations, systems and reporting. Previous to joining DC, Greg worked for many years as an accountant with experience at professional service and public accounting firms, in many capacities. Since moving from his home state of Michigan, Greg has resided in New England and currently lives in South Portland with his wife Anne Marie and their two labradors. In his spare time he likes to try golf.
Jess Gabbard
Bookkeeper/Office Manager
Jess Gabbard joined DC Management in 2019 as the Bookkeeper and Office Manager. She takes care of the daily bookkeeping operations as well as accounting systems and reporting. Prior to coming to DC Management, she worked at Dead River Properties for 13 years in various accounting roles, ending her career there as the Assistant Controller. Jess resides in Durham with her husband Tom, their son Dane and their dog Duke. When not working, she loves running, skiing and photography.