Affordable Housing + Development in Down east Maine
Creating homes and communities for everyone in downeast Maine.
About Flying Mountain Developers
Our Mission
At Flying Mountain Developers, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable housing options for individuals and families. We strive to create homes that are safe, beautiful, and sustainable in which families can both live and work as a contributing member of the community.
We are developers for-hire to help unlock the potential of local stakeholders with land and projects that need a development team to bring their dreams and vision to life.
Meet our Principal partners
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Gabe brings over twenty-five years of affordable housing, development, construction, and finance to the team. As a Certified Mortgage Banker, Gabe is both experienced and versed in all aspects of the lending ecosystem, with billions of dollars in affordable lending and finance experience. Gabe focuses on the finance and construction aspec
Gabe brings over twenty-five years of affordable housing, development, construction, and finance to the team. As a Certified Mortgage Banker, Gabe is both experienced and versed in all aspects of the lending ecosystem, with billions of dollars in affordable lending and finance experience. Gabe focuses on the finance and construction aspects of projects for FMD and has raised tens of millions of dollars in grants for affordable housing programs and purchase assistance programs. Gabe's experience spans both for-profit and nonprofit, with the bulk of his career focused on delivering housing for underserved communities.
Gabe is Chairman of Homeownership Council of America (HCA), and serves their mission by providing thought leadership, technical assistance, and services to banks, IMBs, Credit Unions, CDFIs and investors in affordable and special purpose credit program lending. Gabe has extensive experience building products, delivery systems, and technology focused on increasing access to credit for underserved and emerging markets.
Gabe has been instrumental in providing transformational consulting to mortgage and now small business lenders nationally. Before joining HCA, Gabe was the President of Springboard CDFI and the Nationwide Mortgage Collaborative. He created the first national nonprofit CDFI mortgage bank, laying the groundwork for hub & spoke models. Before that, Gabe was COO for Community HousingWorks a large affordable housing developer/owner in California with over 3,000 affordable apartments.
Gabe has served on a range of Boards in community development, banking, and homeownership. Gabe has spent decades implementing and building best practices in housing counseling & education, down payment assistance lending, affordable housing, and mortgage lending for underserved communities.
He currently serves on the Mortgage Bankers Association Consumer Affairs Advisory Council and locally on the Harbor House Board of Directors in his hometown of Southwest Harbor, where he recently returned to live with his family. Gabe was also appointed by HUD Secretary Fudge to the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee. He has a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and is a graduate of the School of Mortgage Banking with an Accredited Mortgage Professional designation. Gabe also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Program, Achieving Excellence in Community Development.
Noel Musson
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Noel Musson has over twenty-five years of experience working on planning, economic development, and permitting projects. Noel has worked with a range of clients from both the public and private sector. He holds a Master’s Degree in Community Planning and Development from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of S
Noel Musson has over twenty-five years of experience working on planning, economic development, and permitting projects. Noel has worked with a range of clients from both the public and private sector. He holds a Master’s Degree in Community Planning and Development from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Maine. As a professional land use planner, Noel has been trained to identify strategic alternatives to development issues through a comprehensive understanding of the physical and natural landscape, community trends and desires, and economic conditions. Noel has a participatory planning approach that involves clients, government officials, citizens, and other experts in creating livable and sustainable projects. He has experience with multiple regulatory sectors (state, regional, local), downtown revitalization projects, coastal harbor planning, grant writing, land use studies, code review, permitting, and project management. Noel is an expert in relating complex issues to the public and managing projects from conception to completion. He is a trained facilitator and has an understanding of the legal foundation of land use regulations, in identifying site/building permit requirements, associated time lines, and coordinating the process through to completion. Additionally, Noel has experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other tools to help explore land use trends and analyze development opportunities.
Prior to establishing The Musson Group, Noel was a Project Manager and Planning Manager for CES, Inc. a state wide multi-disciplinary engineering firm. In this role, Noel oversaw all aspects of the company’s planning and economic development business unit. Noel served as Branch Manager for the company’s office on Mount Desert Island and in Auburn. He was responsible for office staff, quality control, and business development. As Planning Director for the Town of Harpswell, Noel helped establish the Town’s first planning department, administered the Town’s Land Use Ordinances, performed code review with the Planning Board, helped staff other Town Committees, and developed the Town’s GIS Database. Noel grew up on Mount Desert Island and has a lifelong connection with the coast of Maine.
Susanne Paul
Gabe Ewing del Rio, CMB, AMP
Susanne Paul
Susanne Paul is an urban planning, policy, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professional with two decades of planning and project management experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Her past work ranges from small local nonprofits to New York City government agencies and large regional planning organizations. Most recentl
Susanne Paul is an urban planning, policy, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professional with two decades of planning and project management experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Her past work ranges from small local nonprofits to New York City government agencies and large regional planning organizations. Most recently she worked for almost a decade as a Park and Trail Planner and GIS Analyst with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), where she managed a complex portfolio of projects including suitability studies for new facilities, large-scale data analyses to guide policy-making and capital investments, and the planning, design, and implementation of master plan recommendations. In addition, she was a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland in the Master in Community Planning Program and for undergraduate courses in GIS.
Susanne is both a planner, data analyst, and geographer and thrives on collaborative process thinking to find creative solutions to complex and multidisciplinary problems. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies with a minor in Geography and Studio Art from Middlebury College and Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Susanne was a recipient of the 2021 Association of Public Data Users Data Visualization Award for her work on the M-NCPPC Equity Focus Areas project. Susanne currently serves as Co-Chair of the Maine Association of Planners Legislative Policy Committee (MAP LPC) and is a board member at the Mount Desert Island YMCA.