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More than 25 years after one father began searching for a future where his daughter could live independently and thrive long after he was gone, the Big WavevCenter has officially opened its doors.
Now welcoming residents and activating its campus, the Big Wave Center provides critical community infrastructure for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) throughout San Mateo County.
The vision began with Jeff Peck, Founder of Big Wave Group, and his daughter, Elizabeth. Concerned about the limited opportunities available to adults with IDD after they leave the school system, Peck imagined a place where Elizabeth—and others like her—could continue learning, build meaningful relationships, and live fulfilling, connected lives throughout adulthood. Today, Elizabeth is among the Center’s first residents.
“More than 25 years ago, this journey began with a question every parent of a child with disabilities eventually asks: ‘What will happen when I’m no longer here?'” said Jeff Peck, Founder of Big Wave Group. “I wanted Elizabeth to have a place where she could continue to grow, build friendships,
contribute to her community, and truly belong. Today, that dream has become reality—not just for
Elizabeth, but for countless other adults with disabilities and the families who love them.”
Located on a 12-acre campus in Princeton Harbor, the $37 million, 50,000-square-foot Big Wave Center addresses one of San Mateo County’s greatest unmet needs. While services for children with disabilities are available through the school system, opportunities for continuing education, employment, recreation, and community engagement decline significantly after age 22.
Rather than operating programs itself, Big Wave provides the infrastructure and partners with leading nonprofit organizations to deliver a comprehensive continuum of opportunities that promote independence, health, and inclusion.
The Center includes housing for 40 adults with IDD, including apartments reserved for low-income
residents, along with spaces dedicated to education, employment training, wellness, recreation, and
community activities. Nonprofit One Step Beyond, Inc. operates the Adult Day Program and
Culinary & Catering Academy, providing continuing education, life skills development, workforce
training, and employment opportunities through the Center’s commercial teaching kitchen.
The campus also features fitness and recreation spaces, a 10,000-square-foot community events
courtyard, and direct access to the adjacent Big Wave Farm, which has served more than 1,800 adults
with IDD annually through agricultural education, nutrition programming, and social engagement.
The project represents years of collaboration among families, donors, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and the design and construction team. SWENSON served as the
project’s general contractor, transforming more than two decades of planning into an innovative
campus designed to serve adults with IDD for generations to come.
“Helping bring Big Wave from vision to reality has been one of the most meaningful experiences of
my career,” said John Hinton, volunteer project executive for Big Wave and retired CFO of De
Mattei Construction. “As the father of a future resident, every decision was personal. SWENSON
assembled an outstanding construction team, and our subcontractors, architect Architectural
Dimensions, owner’s representative Drew Bagdasarian, and volunteer parents all came together with
a shared commitment to create something truly special. I’ve never experienced a project with such an
extraordinary sense of teamwork—and soon my daughter, Jane, will call Big Wave home.”
The Big Wave Center is expected to serve hundreds of adults with intellectual and developmental
disabilities each year, creating new opportunities for lifelong learning, employment, wellness, and
community connection.
More on the Big Wave IDD Housing Project on Coastside Buzz
Fact Sheet
Mission: Provide housing, a sense of community, and access to opportunities for Bay Area adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Vision: Become a “community hub” and place to belong for adults with special needs throughout the Bay Area.
The Need: Approximately 55,000 Bay Area individuals have IDD such as autism, Down syndrome, developmental delay, brain injury, and cerebral palsy. Over half are 18+ and isolated and lonely once they leave the school system. 80% live at home with family caregivers, creating a crisis as family members age and pass. Bay Area affordable housing serves just 8% of adults with IDD. 85% are unemployed with limited job skills and job options.
The Project: A 12-acre campus which includes:
- 50,000 sq. ft. residence with 36 private studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments for 38 residents and aides. Seven of the units are reserved for need-based families.
- 10,000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard for recreation, socialization, and community engagement, as well as inside communal areas.
- Commercial kitchen operated by tenant One Step Beyond, Inc. (OSBI), offering a Culinary and Catering Academy for Bay Area adults with IDD, teaching cooking skills for independent living or to gain employment in the culinary industry.
- Day Program operated by OSBI, providing continuing education, community inclusion, music, arts, physical fitness, recreation and job training.
- Additional 3,000 sq. ft. of commercial space on the ground floor for businesses that may provide potential employment opportunities for residents.
- Five-acre Farm on adjacent property for education and skills development, which currently serves hundreds of Bay Area adults each month from multiple County Day Programs, who help produce products sold to the local community.
- Supported living model where residents choose their daily activities from jobs to volunteering, day programs or recreation, with access to education, skills development, job opportunities and community engagement.
- Job Creation of dozens of local, above minimum wage jobs including administrative, caregivers, and other facility and campus support personnel.
Project Cost: Total cost to build: $37M
Funding: Community funded, including sale of residential memberships via a community housing cooperative; grants; private donations; up to $12.5 construction funding by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
Progress: Secured all construction and utility permits. Installed underground infrastructure including water main, onsite water utilities, sewer main and on-site sewer and conduit for underground utilities; biological protection fence installed; compacted and certified pad completed; Phase I of wetlands restoration completed; temporary electricity installed, construction financing secured; general contractor secured.
Construction of the primary residence is targeted to begin September 2024 and take approximately 18 months to complete.
The Big Wave Residence
This campus on Airport Boulevard in Princeton Harbor, Half Moon Bay, California, offers critically needed lifelong housing and a community hub for Bay Area adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It includes individual apartments, communal spaces, an outdoor courtyard for socialization and community engagement, and a working Farm. Big Wave has worked with the California Coastal Commission and San Mateo County to secure the permits needed to meet regulatory requirements, the needs of the target population, and the community at large.
About Big Wave Group
Big Wave Group is a nonprofit organization based in Half Moon Bay, California, creating a place to
belong for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout San Mateo County.
Through the Big Wave Center and Big Wave Farm, Big Wave offers housing, employment pathways,
continuing education, wellness and recreation opportunities, and inclusive community experiences
that support lifelong well-being, personal growth, independence, and belonging. Learn more at
www.BigWaveProject.org.
Author: mdrag
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