College Campus to Collegiate Village: Skylar Skikos Reimagines Community

What if a college campus could become a place to live for your whole life?

In this episode of SF Commercial Property Conversations with Bruce Bean, Bruce talks with Skylar Skikos, founder of Story in Place, about a fresh approach to real estate development. Skylar is working to turn places into communities where people can connect, learn, and build a meaningful life.

Skylar spent his first decade in real estate private equity and his second decade working on entrepreneurial hospitality ventures. He later served as a partner and head of development with Chip Conley’s Modern Elder Academy. In 2025, he started Story in Place, a boutique development studio focused on creating places with “stories worth living.”

A major focus of the conversation is Skylar’s idea of turning college campuses into intergenerational collegiate villages. Instead of separating students from everyone else, these communities could bring students, families, empty nesters, and other residents together.

Skylar shares details about a former college campus that Story in Place is reimagining. The plan includes clustered homes, a former chapel transformed into a library and community hub, a creative arts center, and a partnership with a micro-college that would bring an active student body and classes to the community.

Bruce and Skylar also discuss two residential projects in Northern California. In Sonoma, Skylar plans to build homes around a historic property that would become a neighborhood restaurant and gathering place. Another project in Sebastopol will use its location near parks, schools, trails, and downtown amenities to encourage a more connected and walkable way of life.

Throughout the conversation, Skylar explains why his hospitality background has shaped his approach to development. Instead of creating a great experience that lasts for only a weekend, he wants to bring some of the best parts of hospitality into everyday residential life.

They also talk about community involvement, density, traffic, parking, placemaking, human-scale development, and why listening to local residents early in the development process can lead to better projects.