The Shape of BelongingWhy the Commons was designed as a public place, not just a housing project.Brendan KellyJun 14, 2026ShareThe Commons was not designed by asking how many housing units could be placed on the former school site. It was designed by asking what kind of public place the site could become. Housing mattered, but it was only one part of a larger civic framework: gardens, walks, fields, shaded parking groves, community rooms, recreation, and shared outdoor spaces arranged so daily life could overlap. The goal was not to isolate subsidized units from the rest of town, but to create a first rung into Yountville’s civic life — especially for younger adults and workers who are already part of the town every day, but rarely able to belong to it as residents.
