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FIELD TRIP, VIDEO and PHOTO-ESSAY. Tour of the Big Wave Center to celebrate completion of the structural phase of the project. This is a traditional construction milestone and ceremony when the highest beam is placed.
Future residents of the Big Wave Center take a tour with their families for the first time. The first and second floor are framed and the highest structural beam has been placed. Residents were able to walk through their own apartments and see where their neighbors will live. Lots of smiles and tears of joy!
Big Wave Mom and Dad, Julie and Paul Shenkman, signs their son Sam’s bedroom wall.
SWENSON and Big Wave Group Announce Construction Milestone for Intentional Community for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Center will provide housing for 40 adults and access to social integration, education and job support for hundreds April 7, 2025, Half Moon Bay, CA – In partnership with Big Wave Group—a Bay Area non-profit creating a place to belong for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), SWENSON—a prominent real estate development and construction company in Northern California—announced the placement of the highest structural beam of the Big Wave Center in Princeton Harbor. The Center is set to redefine the living experience for adults with IDD and provide a sense of community and access to opportunities. The product of twenty-four years of dedication, this project will provide housing for 40 adults with IDD in a two-story, 50,000 square foot residence featuring private studio to three-bedroom apartments.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the topping-out of the Big Wave Center in Half Moon Bay, a key milestone that showcases the hard work and dedication of our outstanding subcontractors who’ve brought us to this point. On behalf of SWENSON, I extend our heartfelt thanks to each of them for their skill and commitment. We’re equally grateful to the ownership team and our valued partners—your collaboration and support have been instrumental in reaching this moment,” said Jeff Huff, Vice President of SWENSON.
The Bay Area is home to more than 55,000 individuals with IDD and more than half are adults. When they turn 22, their school and support systems come to a grinding halt as they lose their community, educational opportunities, and services. Many live at home with aging caregivers, facing isolation and limited opportunities for employment or social interaction. When family members pass, these individuals often face a housing crisis, compounded by an 85% unemployment rate among adults with IDD. The Big Wave Center aims to be a solution to this crisis, offering not just housing but also access to continuing education, social enrichment, and job training for hundreds of adults with IDD in the region. Plans also
include a 10,000 square foot outdoor courtyard, commercial kitchen, and indoor communal areas designed to foster interaction and growth.
“My life will be so much more joyful being around people that I love and having a fun time doing whatever!” said future resident Emmy Gainza, who has Williams syndrome. “I feel like it’s going to open doors to amazing things!”
The project’s impact extends beyond its future residents. Non-profit One Step Beyond, Inc. will lease the on-site commercial kitchen and accompanying space where it will operate a culinary academy, catering program, and day program. In addition to the Center, the Big Wave campus features an existing five-acre farm, providing access to hundreds of adults with IDD who visit through county day programs to gain farming skills, nutritional guidance, and social opportunities.
“This moment marks a major milestone for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD),” said Big Wave Board President Leslie Nordin. “We are grateful to those who have supported us and helped with the construction of the largest intentional community of its kind for adults with IDD in the Bay Area. The Big Wave Center will offer a sense of community, access to social, educational, and recreational opportunities, and much-needed housing to special adults who want to belong.”
About Big Wave Group
Big Wave Group is a Bay Area non-profit dedicated to providing a place to belong for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Half Moon Bay, CA, the Big Wave Center will include community gathering spaces, an outdoor courtyard for events and recreation, and individual apartments. A day program for continuing education and a culinary and catering academy will be operated by the non-profit One Step Beyond, Inc. (OSBI). Adjacent to the Center is the Big Wave Farm, where visitors can gain farming skills and nutritional knowledge.
Learn more at www.bigwaveproject.org or Facebook/Instagram @bigwaveproject
More on Big Wave 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
The Big Wave Group is a Bay Area 501©3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide housing, access to opportunities, and a sense of community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Half Moon Bay, CA, the campus will include a 50,000 sq. ft. residence, a 10,000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard for recreation and socialization, a working Farm, and a commercial kitchen operated by One Step Beyond, Inc. (OSBI). OSBI will provide a Culinary and Catering Program and Day Program for adults with IDD throughout the Bay Area. Project location: 380 Airport Road in Half Moon Bay, CA. Mailing: PO Box 1901, El Granada, CA 94018. www.bigwaveproject.org Facebook, Instagram @bigwaveproject
Author: mdrag
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