CMA DEVELOPMENT

CMA Development is a full-service general contracting firm based in San Francisco, California. With a deep appreciation for design and a sharp eye for detail, CMA brings an architecturally grounded sensitivity to every collaboration. That same sensibility is applied to the countless on-the-fly decisions that arise in the field—where design intent meets real-world constraints.

With experience spanning entitlements, architectural design, and construction, CMA operates with a holistic understanding of the full development process. Having worn multiple hats across the industry, the approach balances creative vision with practical execution. Project experience includes full interior gut renovations, vertical and horizontal additions, and new ground-up construction—each informed by a commitment to craftsmanship, clarity, and enduring quality.

CHARLES MA | Principal

Charles Ma is the founder and principal of CMA Development, a design-driven construction firm specializing in high-end residential projects across the San Francisco Bay Area. After earning a Master’s in Architecture from California College of the Arts in 2010, Charles spent time at both renowned local and international architecture firms, contributing to projects that spanned from tech campus master planning to intricately detailed custom homes. He also explored craftsmanship through custom furniture work, reinforcing a hands-on design sensibility that continues to influence his builds today. 

Before his pivot into architecture, Charles studied Finance and Economics—an early tension between analytical structure and creative exploration that ultimately shaped his multidimensional approach. In 2012, he founded CMA Development with the goal of bridging design, construction, and development under one thoughtful, detail-oriented umbrella. Over the years, Charles has worn nearly every hat: owner, designer, general contractor, project manager, and even finish carpenter. That full-spectrum perspective defines his work—simultaneously zoomed-out and detail-attentive, pragmatic and poetic.

Originally from New York and fluent in Mandarin, Charles now lives in San Francisco with his wife and two young children. Outside of work, he’s deep in the trenches of family life—building couch forts, refereeing sibling showdowns, and pretending to enjoy children’s movies he’s already seen ten times. It’s chaotic, it’s messy, and somehow it’s still his favorite project yet.