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Meeting the Demand for Senior Housing: Pipeline, Capital and Feasibility

What It Takes to Get Projects Funded and Delivered Across Affordable to Luxury Senior Housing

Jason Reyes

Jason Reyes

Managing Partner

Calson Management

Mercedes Kerr

Mercedes Kerr

President

Belmont Village Senior Living

Cynthia Alvarez

Cynthia Alvarez

CEO & President

Christian Church Homes

Chris Cummings

Chris Cummings

VP, Real Estate

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

Mike Smith

Mike Smith

VP

W.E. O'Neil

Mark Schlientz

Mark Schlientz

Principal

Kava Massih Architects

Joseph Camajani
Moderator

Joseph Camajani

Principal, Client Executive

IMEG

Jason Reyes

Managing Partner

Calson Management

A creative and collaborative community visionary, Jason was drawn to the family business and joined his mother, Alana Reyes, in developing award-winning senior living communities throughout California.

Jason is involved in every aspect of company operations, with a particular emphasis on long-range planning, acquisitions, financing, project development, and lease-up. Jason’s leadership has provided a platform for steady and consistent growth for decades to come.

Mercedes Kerr

President

Belmont Village Senior Living

Mercedes Kerr is a recognized leader in the health care industry with over 25 years of experience in the seniors housing sector. Prior to joining Belmont Village Senior Living as President in 2019, she was Executive Vice President of Business Development at Welltower Inc. where she helped to shape the trajectory of the industry through transformative transactions over a period of over 10 years. Prior to that, Ms. Kerr spent 10 years at HCP, Inc., where she was was Vice President of Acquisitions. She serves on the boards of leading national organizations dedicated to setting policy, standards and innovation in the seniors housing industry, such as NIC, Argentum and The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Ms. Kerr graduated with honors from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and holds a Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California.

Cynthia Alvarez

CEO & President

Christian Church Homes

Cynthia is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $60 million and ensuring the short and long term financial, regulatory and physical sustainability of the assets in service to the communities in which we work. Cynthia’s various executive roles in affordable housing have given her direct oversight of a range of strategic planning and supervision of multiple departments. She is known for building strong teams with a mission-centered approach and for establishing systems to achieve efficiencies and accountability within and across teams. Cynthia was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US when she was eight years old. She graduated, with honors, from UC San Diego with a BA in Political Science and then attended Stanford University’s PhD Political Science program from 1995 – 1999, on a full merit scholarship.

Chris Cummings

VP, Real Estate

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

Chris began his role as Director of Housing Development in August 2022, previously having worked at TNDC as the Interim Director of Housing Development and in a Project Manager role and most recently as Associate Director of Housing Development. As a Project Manager, Chris worked on both new construction and acquisition/rehab projects, delivering over 300 units of housing to San Francisco.

Chris is deeply passionate about affordable housing development, and more specifically, in preservation strategies for TNDC’s existing building portfolio and in the context of acquiring existing rent-controlled properties to preserve as affordable in perpetuity. As Associate Director of Housing Development, Chris led the development and execution of TNDC’s 2018 Portfolio Recapitalization Plan, a comprehensive five-year plan which included the rehabilitation of over 250 units of existing TNDC housing. Chris also developed and currently leads TNDC’s Acquisitions Strategy Group, a multi-department team which focuses its efforts on identifying TNDC’s priorities for new acquisitions and appropriate opportunities that meet community needs and TNDC’s overall mission, race-equity framework, and Theory of Change.

Mike Smith

VP

W.E. O'Neil

Mike Smith is a seasoned construction professional with over 18 years of experience across

various roles and currently serving as Vice President for W.E. O’Neil Construction. Specializing

in multifamily and mixed-use projects, Mike has been instrumental in shaping the Northern

California landscape.

Mike is a decisive leader with extensive experience leading numerous high-profile projects and

a proven track record of success throughout Northern California. His deep understanding of the

construction industry, coupled with his leadership acumen, has enabled Mike to foster

collaborative teams, cultivate strong client relationships, and drive sustainable growth for

organizations.

One of Mike’s core focuses is on developing and nurturing our people to create an environment

of continuous improvement and excellence within the organization.

Outside of work, Mike enjoys finding balance by spending time with family, playing musical

instruments, and cheering on the San Francisco 49ers.

Mark Schlientz

Principal

Kava Massih Architects

Mark attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 1990. After working for the Ratcliff Architects for 5 years he moved to Austin, Texas where he completed a master’s degree program at the University of Texas. Mark returned to the Bay Area in 1997 and joined the newly formed firm of Kava Massih Architects where he became an Associate in 2003, a Senior Associate in 2010 and a Principal in 2016. Mark's experience spans a wide range of project types including health care, adaptive re-use, commercial, educational and multi-family housing. He played a key role in planning and designing several large projects including the Aliso, a 472-unit mixed-use housing project in Downtown Los Angeles and recently completing the Kittredge, a 169-unit mixed- use housing project adjacent to the UC campus in Berkeley. His Senior Housing experience includes Providence Senior Housing project, a 50-unit affordable housing project developed jointly between Providence Baptist Church and Christian Church Homes, completed in 2008. He lead the Bayside Park senior housing project in Emeryville, a 126-unit project developed by AgeSong, which included independent-living, assisted-living units and memory-care units. The 116,000 s.f., 5-story project included extensive amenity space, including dining facilities, library, fitness center, beauty salon and a public café.

Mark is energized by good design and works diligently throughout the design and construction process to bring quality projects to life.

Joseph Camajani

Moderator

IMEG

Joseph Camajani serves as Principal and Client Executive of the IMEG San Francisco structural team. He joined the firm in 2020 as Operations Manager and Senior Structural Engineer. A San Francisco native, Joseph has experience ranging from seismic structural design in California to global engineering management on five different continents for firms in each of the A/E/C fields. Joseph is a licensed Civil and Structural Engineer in California, a CalOES Disaster Service Worker, and a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Joseph lives in San Anselmo with his wife and 3 daughters.

Building and Designing Senior Housing That Performs

Creating Healthy, Accessible, and Flexible Living Environments

Amir Kia

Amir Kia

Principal

Spirit Living Group

Susie Criscimagna

Susie Criscimagna

VP, Real Estate Development

Eden Housing

Smitha Seshadri

Smitha Seshadri

EVP

BRIDGE Housing

Christophe Laverne

Christophe Laverne

Principal

HKIT Architects

Zico Saryeddean

Zico Saryeddean

Sr Associate, Project Manager

Kier + Wright

Ashley Weinstein-Carnes
Moderator

Ashley Weinstein-Carnes

Partner

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP

Amir Kia

Principal

Spirit Living Group

Amir is a Principal of Spirit Living Group, overseeing finance, operations, and strategic growth. A founding principal of AgeSong, he has held leadership roles including Executive Director, CFO, and CEO, and was recognized with the American Society on Aging's National Award for Excellence.

Amir is a graduate of the Wharton School and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where he also taught and served as Vice-Chair of Starr King School for the Ministry. He is a trustee of Golestan Kids and a former trustee of the Helix School.

Beyond his professional work, Amir has coached individuals on living from their spiritual center, led meditation programs in county jails, and walked the 850km coastal stretch of the Camino de Santiago in 30 days. His interests include sketch comedy, tennis, and mountain biking.

Susie Criscimagna

VP, Real Estate Development

Eden Housing

Susie Criscimagna is Vice President of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing. Since joining the organization in 2013, she has managed and overseen affordable housing developments for families, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and formerly homeless individuals. As Vice President, she guides a team in implementing all aspects of affordable housing development, including entitlements and environmental approvals, securing public and private financing, and overseeing design, construction, and lease-up of projects. Her projects include new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and joint ventures with other developers.

Prior to her career in affordable housing development, she conducted housing research at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Her research on the national housing market focused on affordable housing, rental markets, green building and mortgage markets.

Smitha Seshadri

EVP

BRIDGE Housing

Smitha Seshadri is Executive Vice President of Development at BRIDGE Housing Corporation and leads the organization’s real estate development activities in Northern California. Smitha brings 20+ years of experience with a strong background in architecture, community development and real estate finance. She has successfully structured several complex multi-family affordable housing developments and is responsible for overseeing the execution of several mixed-use/mixed-income developments for BRIDGE in Northern California, including new construction and acquisition-rehab over the past 5.5 years. Earlier this year, BRIDGE was honored with the “Nonprofit Developer of the Year Award” from the San Francisco Business Times for delivering approximately 1,000 new and rehabbed affordable housing units in the Bay Area over the past 2 years. Her team is currently working on 7 construction projects with a total of 735 affordable housing units and several new construction projects in predevelopment. Prior to BRIDGE, Smitha served as Vice President of Real Estate at Habitat for Humanity, San Francisco and Director of Development for the Santa Clara Housing Authority.

Ms. Seshadri holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates.

Christophe Laverne

Principal

HKIT Architects

Christophe has over 20 years of design, project management, and construction administration experience for a variety of project types focused on senior living communities, multi-family residential communities, municipal projects, and an array of public facilities. His approach to architectural design is rooted in meaningful, sustainable, and healthful experiences for users that balances nature and the architectural built environment. He serves as Co-Chair for the AIA San Francisco Chapter’s Design for Aging Committee, where he leads interdisciplinary discussions on topics addressing the challenges and opportunities of design for aging and how architecture can thoughtfully and effectively support the quality of life for our aging society.

Zico Saryeddean

Sr Associate, Project Manager

Kier + Wright

With a career built on turning complex sites into thriving communities, Zico Saryeddean, PE, LEED AP, has spent 28 years mastering the civil engineering and infrastructure challenges that make great senior housing possible. As a Senior Associate and Project Manager at Kier + Wright, Zico has a gift for bringing together the right people, solving the right problems, and delivering on the promise of a project, with more than 500 completed developments across the Bay Area and Northern California to show for it. His deep roots in multi-family residential and ground-up development give him a rare, practical understanding of what it truly takes to deliver senior housing that is thoughtfully designed, fiscally sound, and built to last.

Ashley Weinstein-Carnes

Moderator

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP

Ashley Weinstein-Carnes counsels a wide variety of developers and investors on the land use and environmental laws affecting development projects in the Bay Area, including senior living projects and licensed Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. She guides clients through complex entitlement, permitting, and regulatory processes from project conception through final approval, offering practical advice tailored to each stage of development. Ashley is known for her solutions-oriented approach and her ability to translate complex issues into clear, actionable next steps, and keep projects moving forward.

What You'll Learn:

What You’ll Learn:

  • Hear how leading developers and builders are addressing the growing demand for senior housing demand across the Bay Area, and how demographic shifts are influencing development strategies and site selection.

  • Gain insights into how developers, architects, and contractors evaluate project feasibility, manage costs, and navigate approvals to keep senior housing projects moving forward.

  • Examine how senior housing facilities are being designed and built to support comfort, accessibility, safety, and wellness while maintaining efficiency and constructibility.

  • Explore financing solutions, including public-private partnerships, tax credits, and alternative funding tools, that are being used to deliver both market-rate and affordable senior housing.

  • Gain insight into how materials, building systems, and layout decisions impact durability, sustainability, and long-term operating performance.

  • Understand how local regulations, zoning constraints, and entitlement processes are shaping where and how senior housing can be developed in the Bay Area.

How You’ll Do More Business: The 55+ cohort is the largest and fastest-growing segment in today’s renter landscape, and it will remain so for the next two decades. The senior housing market is evolving rapidly in response to demographic shifts, changing preferences among older adults, and updated healthcare and regulatory requirements. Join us for our inaugural event to gain expert insights into this critical and growing sector.

Who You’ll Meet During Networking: Owners, developers, investors, brokers, city and government officials, business consultants, architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, and bankers.

Why You Should Attend This Session: Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to help you identify opportunities, build your network, and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than we do.

For questions, recommendations, comments, or press inquiries, please email our event producer, Bora Altunay, at bora.altunay@bisnow.com

Interested in Sponsorship? Contact max.stein@bisnow.com to get information on sponsorship, pricing, and availability at this event.

Agenda

Time Activity
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
Breakfast & Networking
5:00 PM
5:45 PM
Meeting the Demand for Senior Housing: Pipeline, Capital and Feasibility

What It Takes to Get Projects Funded and Delivered Across Affordable to Luxury Senior Housing

5:45 PM
6:05 PM
Networking and Coffee Break
6:05 PM
6:50 PM
Building and Designing Senior Housing That Performs

Creating Healthy, Accessible, and Flexible Living Environments

6:50 PM
7:30 PM
Closing Networking

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