LAFAYETTE, Calif. — A major new cancer support facility is set to rise in Lafayette, bringing an expansive campus dedicated to cancer care – but with a unique focus.
The Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area (CSC) is building a state-of-the-art cancer support center on a 6-acre parcel just west of the Lafayette Reservoir. The project, which secured unanimous city approval in 2021, will create a two-story, 12,000-square-foot complex offering services for cancer patients and their families.
Unlike a traditional hospital, this center will not have inpatient beds or acute medical services, but will serve as a one-stop hub for cancer support programs in the Bay Area.
The Organization Behind the Name and Its Scale
The new Lafayette facility is spearheaded by Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area, a nonprofit organization that has provided free services to cancer patients for 35 years. The land for the campus – located at 3939 Mt. Diablo Blvd. – was a philanthropic gift from the late Lafayette landowner Ray Leal in 2018.
Once built, the center will dramatically expand CSC’s capacity to serve the region. CSC SF Bay Area currently serves over 1,600 cancer patients and their loved ones each year, a number expected to grow significantly with the new campus.
The project carries a roughly $30 million price tag, funded through donations and a capital campaign – including an anonymous $5 million matching donation that helped push the project forward.
Size & Facilities: The Lafayette cancer center will span more than 12,000 square feet across two levels. Key facilities and services planned include:
- Counseling and Support Group Rooms: Private spaces for individual counseling and group therapy sessions for patients, survivors, and caregivers. There will also be flexible support rooms with remote broadcast capabilities to enable hybrid and virtual support programs.
- Wellness, Fitness and Arts Spaces: A fully equipped demonstration kitchen for healthy cooking classes, an expressive arts room, a dedicated movement studio for exercise and yoga, and specialized wellness treatment rooms for activities like meditation or acupuncture. These spaces underscore a holistic approach addressing mind and body.
- Children and Teen Areas: The campus will feature enrichment areas for kids and teens – including a natural wood playground and outdoor play space – so that young people affected by a parent’s or their own illness have age-appropriate support programs.
- Library, Café and Community Zones: A resource library and café will provide educational materials and a casual gathering spot for social connection. Outdoor patios and seating areas are designed for support group meetings and respite in a calming environment
- Healing Garden and Trails: Embracing the beautiful hillside site, the campus will include a healing garden, nature trails, and even a greenhouse and outdoor classroom to engage visitors with the therapeutic benefits of nature. This garden setting will allow patients and families to reflect and find peace in a natural environment adjacent to the reservoir’s open space.
The healthcare mission behind these facilities is to provide comprehensive psychosocial care – counseling, support groups, nutrition and exercise programs, child and family services – all free of charge to those facing cancer.
There will be no chemotherapy infusions, radiation therapy, or surgeries on-site. Instead, the Lafayette center is meant to complement medical treatment that patients receive at hospitals like John Muir Health, Kaiser, Stanford or UCSF.
Construction Timeline and Projected Opening
Construction is already underway following a ceremonial groundbreaking on April 23, 2025, which drew over 200 community members and local officials to the site.
The project had been in planning for several years: CSC and its architects at Left Coast Architecture spent 2018–2021 designing the campus and securing permits. By March 2021, the City of Lafayette completed an environmental review and determined that with mitigations, the project would not significantly impact the surroundings. The City Council and Planning Commission gave full approvals by late 2021, allowing the nonprofit to move forward without delays.
Despite pandemic-related cost challenges (initial estimates of $15 million roughly doubled due to rising construction costs), the organization’s fundraising kept pace. Several major donors stepped up to ensure the project stayed on trackcancersupport.net.
C. Overaa & Co. was contracted as the general builder, and crews began site work in spring 2025. Officials have stated the goal is to complete construction by the end of 2025 and open the center to the public shortly thereafter. From current progress, though, a mid to late 2026 date seems more reasonable. That means 2026 could see the first patients and families walking through the doors of the Lafayette cancer support center.
Progress on the build is visible from Mt. Diablo Boulevard – grading and foundation work took place over the summer on the formerly vacant parcel, and the steel framework of the building has been rising this fall (according to city construction updates). Once the structure is enclosed, interior construction and landscaping will continue into next year.
Economic and Community Impact
The arrival of this cancer support center is poised to have positive impacts on the Lafayette community and the broader East Bay, both socially and economically.
City leaders expect the center to draw patients and families from across the Bay Area, making Lafayette a regional destination for cancer care support. With roughly 5,200 people diagnosed with cancer every day in the U.S. (and incidence projected to rise nearly 50% by 2040), the demand for services like CSC provides is growing.
The Lafayette campus will significantly expand local capacity to meet that demand. By some estimates, the new center could accommodate double or triple the number of clients compared to CSC’s current Walnut Creek facility (which serves about 2,000 people annually). This means hundreds more patients and caregivers each year will have access to free counseling, classes, and support close to home.
Local economic activity is also expected to get a boost. The construction phase itself – a $30 million project – has created jobs for construction workers, engineers, and contractors in the area.
Many of those workers are dining in Lafayette restaurants and patronizing local businesses during the build, injecting money into the economy. Once open, the center will employ an expanded team of staff. CSC SF Bay Area will likely hire additional counselors, program coordinators, administrative staff and maintenance crews to operate the larger site.
While the nonprofit has longstanding employees and many volunteers, a facility of this size will require new hires, contributing to local job growth in the healthcare and social assistance sector.
Moreover, having a renowned cancer support center in town could spur ancillary economic benefits. Families traveling from elsewhere in Northern California to attend multi-day workshops or programs may stay overnight in the area, using hotels or short-term rentals.
Lafayette’s shops and cafes might see increased foot traffic from visitors attending sessions at the center. The presence of the center could also elevate Lafayette’s profile as a compassionate community hub, possibly attracting related healthcare services or events to the city.
Design, Architecture and Sustainability Features
The new campus’ design is deeply influenced by its natural setting and the healing mission of the facility. Oakland-based Left Coast Architecture, in collaboration with CSC, crafted an architectural plan that emphasizes serenity, openness, and integration with nature.
One striking element is the building’s butterfly roof – two wings that angle upward and meet in the middle – creating a dynamic silhouette that “echoes the surrounding topography” of Lafayette’s rolling hills.
This roof design is not only aesthetic; it serves as a metaphor for healing and hope, evoking a butterfly’s uplifted wings symbolizing transformation and flight. Beneath the roof, an expansive glass-walled atrium will form the heart of the building, flooding the interior with natural light and providing inspiring views of the outdoors. The atrium will function as a welcoming lobby and gathering space for visitors, with high ceilings that bring the outdoors in.
In keeping with modern sustainability practices, the project incorporates several green design features. Landscaping will preserve as many existing oak and walnut trees as possible, and new plantings will consist of native, drought-tolerant species that blend with the local ecology.
The site plan avoids excessive paving; parking areas and walkways will use pervious pavement and boardwalk-style paths that allow rainwater to permeate the soil, reducing runoff.
During construction, crews are working carefully to minimize grading on the hillside – about 10,000 cubic yards of earth will be moved, but retaining walls and contouring will ensure the building sits harmoniously in the slope. The building materials include natural wood and stone elements to complement the landscape, and the exterior color palette was chosen to blend with the earth tones of the hill.
Outdoor spaces are a central focus of the design. The campus will feature a network of walking trails looping through the 5.75-acre property, connecting various therapeutic gardens and seating nooks.
An outdoor classroom and amphitheater space is planned, enabling support groups or yoga classes to meet outside when weather permits. Children will have a dedicated play area constructed from natural materials (logs, boulders, and a small play structure), giving kids a safe space while parents attend sessions. Even the site furnishings are being chosen with care: benches, for instance, will be placed to offer quiet reflection points overlooking the reservoir area.
Energy efficiency is built into the architectural plans as well. Though not officially announced, the building is expected to meet California’s latest green building standards – likely including rooftop solar panels or solar-ready infrastructure for renewable energy, high-efficiency HVAC systems, LED lighting, and ample insulation to regulate temperature.
Large overhangs from the butterfly roof will provide shade to reduce heat gain in summer, while the plentiful windows are specified with low-emissivity glass to keep the building comfortable year-round. These features align with the project team’s goal of achieving a sustainable, tranquil environment that heals both people and respects the planet.
In terms of aesthetics, renderings show a contemporary Craftsman-inspired style: natural wood siding and stone bases, accented by modern steel and glass. The front entrance will be marked by the Cancer Support Community logo and a stone plaza that can host gatherings or events.
At night, tasteful exterior lighting will illuminate pathways and highlight the building’s contours without contributing to light pollution – an important consideration given the semi-rural, residential nature of west Lafayette. The overall impression is one of a campus retreat rather than an institutional facility, aligning with CSC’s vision of a home-like community space rather than a clinical center.
Community Reception and What’s Next
For now, construction cranes and crews are busy on Mt. Diablo Boulevard, and fundraising continues for the final phase of the campaign (about $1.7 million remained to be raised as of mid-2025). But before long, Lafayette will cut the ribbon on its newest and perhaps most heartfelt community resource.
Learn more about Cancer Support Community on their website: https://cancersupport.net
