Cupertino housing project designed for people with disabilities

A first-of-its-kind Cupertino development could advance housing accessibility at a low cost to future residents.

The project along Mary Avenue could bring about 40 affordable apartments to the city in a unique mix — 19 apartments designated for adults and families with children who have developmental disabilities and 20 for low-income residents. The two-story project is slated for a narrow, roughly 0.79 acres of underused city-owned property next to Highway 85, and will cut into parts of the street to accommodate the complex. Advocates said it’s a good first step in a city lacking accessible housing for the disabled community.

Residents must make 50% or less of Santa Clara County’s area median income to live in the future development; the average for an individual is $129,000 and $184,300 for a family of four annually, according to 2024 state data.

The project is a collaboration between Cupertino, Ko Architects, affordable housing developer Charities Housing and nonprofits West Valley Community Services, Housing Choices for People with Developmental Disabilities and Rotary Club of Cupertino Housing Corporation. The Cupertino City Council has to approve the development’s lease, but if all goes well, construction could start November 2026 and finish by late 2027. The funding is still undetermined, but will likely come from the city, county and state.

Janet Van Zoeren, a Cupertino resident for nearly 50 years and advocate for the disabled community, said the housing is long overdue. Her daughter is one of 122 adults in the city with a developmental disability, according to Housing Choices and state data. Roughly 325 total residents with developmental disabilities live in the city, including residents under 18.

Van Zoeren, 81, said her daughter found an apartment, but it took the family nine years to get a state housing voucher to lower her rent. She added many adults with developmental disabilities rely on state support such as Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance, which brings in around $1,000 a month — not enough in pricey Silicon Valley.

“The rents are so high everywhere (and) their income is so low, there’s just no way that they can find places to live, even though they want to live on their own. They’re capable of doing that with some support, rather than living their entire life under the control of their parents,” she told San José Spotlight.

Housing Choices, which supports and creates affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities, will provide case management. Spokesperson Gia Pham said the nonprofit has seen people with disabilities become homeless after their parents die, leaving them without care. She said fewer than 11 Cupertino residents with developmental disabilities live in their own apartment.

“(The project is) a great opportunity to build some affordable housing, especially for people with developmental disabilities who grew up in Cupertino and deserve the right to stay near their resources, stay near their families and not be displaced out of their city,” she told San José Spotlight.

The project started roughly 15 years ago, when the rotary club proposed turning the land into affordable older adult housing, but was denied by the presiding city council. But in February, councilmembers unanimously approved an exclusive one-year negotiation period between the city and developers.

Orrin Mahoney, Rotarian and former Cupertino mayor, said he’s glad for the second chance.

“I was disappointed 15 years ago when that project didn’t get approved,” he told San José Spotlight. “But now I’m glad it didn’t get approved (back then), because I think that this is a better project.”

The developers hosted a community feedback meeting last month and Jacob Billitteri, Charities Housing senior project manager, said the project will adapt its design following future neighborhood discussions.
The project will also add to Cupertino’s affordable housing stock. The city is close to state approval of its housing plan and has several affordable housing projects in the works, including the former Vallco Mall site.

Mayor Sheila Mohan said she supports more affordable housing citywide.

“This is one more indication that the city is doing everything it can to provide housing options to people in all segments of our society and our community,” she told San José Spotlight.

Van Zoeren said while the project has taken time, it shows a caring community coming together.

“Until now, Cupertino has not been a place where  you could very easily find that (housing),” she said. “Now you still won’t be able to easily find it, but some people at least will, and hopefully in the future, we’ll be able to get some more housing of this type.”

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.