Big Wave Group announces the commencement of construction on a unique $37 million, 50,000-square foot two-story residence for adults with IDD.
On the Big Wave campus, OSBI will operate a Culinary Academy, Catering Program, and Day Program, providing life skills, employment opportunities, recreation, health & fitness, fine arts, and community integration for adults with IDD throughout the Bay Area. An additional 3,000 sq. ft. of commercial space will be leased to companies that may offer employment opportunities to adults with IDD.
“Our mission is to empower these individuals to participate fully in our communities,” said Madison Blanton, CEO of OSBI. “We provide continuing education for life because when these adults leave the school system, they leave behind their social community, educational services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and work training opportunities. Their world halts.”
55,000+ people in the Bay Area have IDD, and over half are adults. 80% live at home with aging family caregivers. They are isolated and often lonely, creating a housing crisis when family members pass. 85% are unemployed with limited job skills and employment options.
“Every person in our County deserves a place to call home and a life filled with purpose,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller of San Mateo County District 3. “This project will provide vital housing, a safe community within our greater community, and a place to thrive. Thanks to everyone who came together to support this project – it’s been many years and a lot of work to make it happen, and I’m thankful to all who have made their voices heard.”
Adjacent to the residence, the five-acre Big Wave Farm is already a community hub for hundreds of Bay Area adults with IDD who visit each month through their County Day Programs to gain nutritional guidance, farm skills, and enjoy social opportunities.
“Our adult children want community and a place to belong – but they can’t create it themselves,” said Big Wave Board President Leslie Nordin. “And the community can’t be rooted in parents because we won’t always be here.” The Nordin family recently relocated from Boston, Massachusetts to prepare for their blind and autistic 20-year-old son to live at Big Wave. “Since he was 14, we started searching across the country for more than just a place to live — for his own community where he can thrive. The choices were few and far between until we finally found Big Wave.”
Parents, family members, community donations, and grants funded the project, supported by a construction loan from LISC, a national nonprofit organization specializing in community development. The housing crisis is acute in the Bay Area, and the population most affected are people with IDD who have very little voice. The Big Wave team intends to use this community as a proof-of-concept model for other intentional communities nationwide.
This project will also support local job creation, including dozens of above minimum wage jobs, such as administrative, caregivers, and other facility and campus support personnel.
Architectural Dimensions is the project architect, the general contractor is Swenson Builders, and the project manager is DRB Associates. The project is on target to be completed in the spring of 2026, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the IDD community in the Bay Area.
