Samara Expands Into Single-Family Real Estate, Bringing Design-Forward Homes to California’s Most In-Demand Neighborhoods

First home debuts in Healdsburg, with additional projects planned across Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Los Angeles Counties under California’s Starter Home Revitalization Act (SB 1123)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Samara, the design-led California homebuilder known for its Backyard ADU, today introduced Locale by Samara, the company's expansion into single-family real estate. The company will now design and build small infill developments—clusters of thoughtfully-designed single-family homes—in the California neighborhoods that people love, starting with Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Los Angeles Counties.

Each Locale development will be built as a small group—two homes, four homes, and up to ten—designed to fit the street it joins. Precision-engineered and built with premium materials, each home is designed around how people and families actually live.

Many Locale developments will be enabled by California’s Starter Home Revitalization Act (under SB 1123), which streamlines approvals to allow eligible lots to be subdivided into up to ten small-footprint homes. SB 1123 is among the most consequential housing-supply tools California has passed in a generation. Samara is among the first builders preparing to deliver homes under it.

Unlocking California’s Most Coveted Neighborhoods

California has ambitious goals to add new housing, but many of the state’s most in-demand counties and municipalities are not building fast enough. Santa Clara County, with a population of 1.9 million, needs more than 100,000 new homes by 2031 to house its current residents and accommodate even modest growth. But in 2024, less than 4,000 homes were built, and less than 400 were detached single-family homes.

Many counties struggle to quickly add single-family homes in large part because land economics push developers to build large, high-priced homes. Samara’s infill approach reframes the equation: (1) well-designed homes on more efficient footprints, (2) in the locations buyers actually want, (3) at price points that can open those neighborhoods to more people.

“Our homes are part of a movement to ensure California remains a place where families can dream about their futures,” said Mike McNamara, CEO and Co-founder of Samara. “This expansion is about making more homes possible, closer to where people want to live, work, and build their lives.”

Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Los Angeles Counties and Beyond

Samara’s first Locale in Healdsburg, one of the state’s most supply-constrained small-town markets, includes two single family homes each with an accompanying accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The new homes embody the principle that Californians want to live in design-forward homes that optimize for location over square footage, and the future of these communities depends on them.

“When neighborhoods stop adding homes, they stop adding people,” McNamara added. “And then the schools, the small businesses, and the social fabric that made them so desirable begin to thin out. Locale by Samara is designed to keep that from happening, so a love for these places doesn’t fade away as real estate gets more and more expensive.”

This latest expansion from Samara follows a year of accelerating demand for the company’s approach to homebuilding. Samara continues to scale its Backyard accessory dwelling unit (ADU) business and multifamily solutions while expanding into single-family homes, reflecting a broader vision for Samara as a multi-format housing company. In 2025, the company booked more than 150 housing units across 35 cities in California. All of Samara’s endeavors deliver on the mission of reimagining housing for modern-day California.

Visit samara.com for more information about the Healdsburg property and to follow along for other Locale developments hitting the market in 2026.

About Samara

Samara is shaping a future where better homes are within reach for more people. We design and build homes that fit naturally into Californian neighborhoods that people love. With exceptional attention to detail, our homes bring together thoughtful design, premium materials, precision engineering, and efficient construction in ways conventional builders can’t. From backyard units that turn underused land into living space to micro-developments that add beautifully-crafted homes where they’re needed most, Samara helps homeowners, property owners and communities create more—and better—places to live. Samara is backed by Airbnb, Thrive Capital, 8VC, and other leading investors, and is based in Redwood City, CA. Learn more at samara.com.

Press Contact
LaunchSquad for Samara
samara@launchsquad.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f5876c5d-8c75-4053-be94-202ef1f6db09

Locale by Samara

Locale by Samara reimagines the infill lot as a cluster of design-forward, small-footprint homes, opening California’s most in-demand neighborhoods to more residents.

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