Affordable housing
Sares Regis Group of Northern California
San Jose, California
The Kelsey Ayer Station
Affordable housing
Sares Regis Group of Northern California
San Jose, California
Pioneering affordable community where design drives inclusivity.
Project details
| Name | The Kelsey Ayer Station |
|---|---|
| Practice area | CDC Studio |
| Product type | Affordable housing |
| Developer | Sares Regis Group of Northern California |
| Architect | VTBS Architects |
| Production architect | Devcon |
| Landscape architect | HMH Engineers |
| Location | San Jose, California |
| Photographer | The View Pro |
| Year completed | 2024 |
The Kelsey Ayer Station is not a typical affordable housing project. It is proof of what is possible when inclusive design is treated not as a regulatory checkbox but as a guiding philosophy. Developed by Sares Regis Group of Northern California in partnership with The Kelsey—a nonprofit organization advocating for inclusive, integrated affordable housing for adults with disabilities—the community sets a new benchmark for what it means to design for everyone.
CDC Studio was brought on as an interior design consultant to shape every space in the building, from the communal amenity areas to each individual residential unit. With The Kelsey’s mission front and center, our team worked alongside an ADA consultant who brought lived experience to the project—a collaboration that pushed the work beyond code compliance and into genuine, human-centered design.
CDC Studio transformed the colonnade of storefront arches from a design challenge into an asset through strategic placement of seating, acoustical materials, and layered plantings.
Designed with everyone in mind
The Kelsey Ayer Station’s Modern Spanish architectural vernacular was skillfully balanced with a community-first sensibility. Programming flexibility was key. CDC Studio designed a series of spaces that could expand and contract with ease: open-plan areas with clean sightlines flowed into intimate nooks scaled for smaller groups or individual use.
Durability and budget sensitivity shaped every material decision. Wood-look vinyl plank flooring provided warmth underfoot without the cost or maintenance demands of natural wood. Crisp white walls served as a clean canvas, allowing the lighting, furnishings, and carefully selected art to carry the color story. Color serves a functional purpose, too. Everywhere, color-coded symbols promote wayfinding around the building. The combined effect is interiors that burst with the personality of the people who call them home.
“There’s not an ounce of it feeling institutional or sterile, which is sometimes both the reality and the perception of things that anchor on access.”
Michaela Connery
Founder of The Kelsey
as told to the New York Times
Designed for impact
Success & recognition
2025 Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing
Urban Land Institute Americas- Featured in the New York Times, PBS Newshour, and San Francisco Chronicle
- High engagement with shared amenity spaces reflects a community that is actively living—and thriving—together
- More than 7,000 people applied for 112 apartments at the time of opening
Designed with—and informed by—lived experience, every space at The Kelsey meets ADA standards, creating a community that is inclusive by intent.
Related work
- CDC Studio
- Apartment communities
- Sares Regis Group of Northern California
- South San Francisco, California