As Development Director for AvalonBay Communities, and later as a consultant, Mark Robbins worked with a team of professionals to develop  Avalon Norwalk, Avalon Wilton, and Avalon Milford. Responsibilities included land acquisition, land use approvals, project budgeting, design development, market analysis, and construction oversight. These projects required extensive regulatory and zoning approvals and with construction costs that ranged from $21-65 million.

Avalon Norwalk was an adaptive reuse of a Pathmark Anchor shopping center and indoor mall to 311 units of multi-family housing. This required the relocation and build-to-suits for: McDonalds, AutoZone, and Radio Shack stores. This project included extensive site and community improvements - such as a teared river walk. Off-site improvements included reorganization of traffic on Washington Street and the creation of a municipal bus stop.