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foster city neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Carmel Village, Foster City Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Foster City's Neighborhood 3 on the east shore: fish-named streets of 1960s and 1970s houses between the lagoon and the bay levee, Bowditch Middle School, Marlin Park's beach and two lagoon isles.
Carmel Village by the numbers
carmel village by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Carmel Village (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in carmel village · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Carmel Village
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Carmel Village from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Carmel Village (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Carmel Village came to be
Carmel Village is the city's Neighborhood 3, the east shore of Foster City between the lagoon and the bay. It sits on the same Brewer Island fill as the rest of town: the salt ponds were drained in the early 1960s and about 18 million tons of fill raised the ground about four feet over soft bay mud, per the city's land use element. Developer T. Jack Foster's 1961 master plan grouped Foster City into nine residential neighborhoods around a lagoon designed for drainage and boating.
The lagoon started here. The general plan says its first segment was completed in Neighborhoods 2 and 3 in 1964, and that the channel was laid out with islands to create as many waterfront lots as possible; Dolphin Isle and Sailfish Isle are Carmel Village's. Census estimates for the tract covering the neighborhood give a median year built of 1973, with about 36% of homes from the 1960s and 44% from the 1970s, so the streets filled in over roughly a decade.
The bay edge is the newer story. The city's Levee Improvements Project rebuilt the levee along Beach Park Boulevard, reopening the stretch from Port Royal Avenue to Shorebird Park in late March 2023 and from Shorebird Park to the San Mateo Bridge in mid-July 2023, with final completion in February 2024.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Fish names run the map: Marlin Avenue along the north, Halibut, Haddock, Bowfin, Swordfish, Tarpon, Ribbon and Cod Streets through the middle, and courts named for the Menhaden, Mullet, Bluefish, Shad, Sunfish, Grunion and Sea Horse. Pompano Circle loops around a pocket park, and Dolphin Isle and Sailfish Isle reach into the lagoon lined with lagoon-front lots.
City land-use records count about 644 single-family lots, all zoned R-1, with a median of about 5,900 square feet (computed from county parcel maps). The attached homes sit at the edges: 36 townhouse lots on Moonsail Lane and about 138 condominium units on Albacore and Bonita Lanes, the group listing records call Marina Green. Apartment complexes stand on Foster City Boulevard, Marlin Avenue and Beach Park Boulevard.
Expect 1960s and 1970s one- and two-story houses, with second-story additions and rebuilds scattered through every block. New houses and additions on R-1 lots go through the city's architectural review, which weighs scale, privacy, sunlight and waterfront views, so lagoon-front and bay-side projects get a close look at view impacts.
streets in carmel village
- Marlin Avenue
- Beach Park Boulevard
- Foster City Boulevard
- Halibut Street
- Haddock Street
- Bowfin Street
- Swordfish Street
- Tarpon Street
- Ribbon Street
- Flying Fish Street
- Pompano Circle
- Menhaden Court
- Mullet Court
- Bluefish Court
- Shad Court
- Sunfish Court
- Grunion Court
- Dolphin Isle
- Sailfish Isle
- Moonsail Lane
- Albacore Lane
- Bonita Lane
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Carmel Village
- park
Marlin Park
About 3.1 acres on Marlin Avenue with a sandy beach on the lagoon, a playground, a large lawn, restrooms and a reservable picnic table, per the city.
- park
Sunfish, Shad and Pompano Circle parks
Three small neighborhood parks inside the street grid, on Sunfish Court, Shad Court and Pompano Circle (public maps).
- park
Shorebird Park and the levee
Shorebird Park sits on the levee near the end of Foster City Boulevard and marked a phase line in the levee rebuild; the trail along Beach Park Boulevard is part of the Bay Trail.
- shopping
Beach Park Boulevard center and Marlin Cove
A small strip center on Beach Park Boulevard near Marlin Avenue is inside the neighborhood; the Marlin Cove center is across Foster City Boulevard, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the middle of Carmel Village.
- landmark
Bowditch Middle School
The city's public middle school, at 1450 Tarpon Street near Beach Park Boulevard.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Carmel Village is in the San Mateo-Foster City School District for elementary and middle grades and the San Mateo Union High School District for high school; Census district maps put every home here in both. Bowditch Middle School is inside the neighborhood at 1450 Tarpon Street, and Audubon Elementary is just north in Bay Vista; elementary assignment is set by the district's attendance areas. Foster City has no high school; the city's general plan says the majority of its students attend San Mateo or Hillsdale High in San Mateo. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district's school locator.
Foster City guide: school districts · San Mateo Union High guide
Getting around
- Caltrain: Hillsdale station (50 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo) is about 2.9 miles straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood.
- SamTrans route 251 runs along Foster City Boulevard with a stop at Marlin Cove and continues to the civic center, Bridgepointe and Hillsdale Caltrain, about once an hour (timetable effective August 4, 2024).
- Freeways: Foster City Boulevard leads northwest to SR-92 (ramps at Chess Drive and Metro Center Boulevard); US-101 is reached via East Hillsdale Boulevard.
- On foot and bike: the levee trail is about 0.2 mile straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood, and Beach Park and Foster City Boulevards are on the city's mapped bike network.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Carmel Village: what we check
Buying here
- Flood: FEMA's flood data show a map revision for Foster City (case 24-09-0381P) effective September 11, 2026, with these blocks in Zone X, an area with reduced flood risk due to the levee. The city says flood insurance stays optional for federally backed mortgages; get a quote anyway, and note the Measure P levee bond on the tax bill.
- Ground: nearly every parcel is inside a state-mapped liquefaction zone; the southern and eastern blocks are on the Redwood Point quadrangle map and the rest on the San Mateo map (both 2018). Read the natural hazard disclosure and have the inspector check for settlement.
- Lagoon lots on Dolphin and Sailfish Isles: owners maintain the lagoon side under city code chapter 9.52. Check the bulkhead, any dock and permits; powerboats are not allowed on the lagoon.
- Planning check: the 2016 general plan shows an undeveloped marina site east of Beach Park Boulevard near Swordfish Street, designated Waterfront Commercial, and notes a 2014 application for a marina with housing. Ask the city's planning division for its current status if you are buying nearby.
- Marina Green condos and Moonsail Lane townhouses: read the HOA budget, reserve study, CC&Rs and any assessments, and check current dues.
Selling here
- Give buyers the specifics: lot size from county records, isle or lagoon frontage, distance to the levee trail, Marlin Park and Bowditch.
- Have the FEMA zone with the case number, the liquefaction disclosure and the Measure P levy ready before listing.
- Pull permits and architectural review approvals for additions and second stories, especially on lagoon-front lots.
- For Marina Green and Moonsail Lane, order HOA documents early so buyers can review them inside their contingency period.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Carmel Village questions, answered
Is Carmel Village an official Foster City name?
No. The city calls it Neighborhood 3. Carmel Village and Marina Green are names used in listing records; Marina Green covers the condominiums on Albacore and Bonita Lanes.
Is Carmel Village in a flood zone?
FEMA's flood data show Zone X, an area with reduced flood risk due to the levee, under a map revision effective September 11, 2026, after the city completed its levee rebuild in February 2024. Check the exact parcel on FEMA's map.
Which schools serve Carmel Village?
The San Mateo-Foster City School District and the San Mateo Union High School District. Bowditch Middle School is inside the neighborhood. Check the address with the districts, since attendance areas change.
What is planned for the marina site near Swordfish Street?
The 2016 general plan describes an undeveloped marina site east of Beach Park Boulevard, designated for waterfront commercial use, and a 2014 application for a marina with housing that would need a general plan amendment. Check with the city for the current status.
Where is the nearest grocery store?
The Marlin Cove center across Foster City Boulevard, which public maps show with a supermarket, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood.
next door
More Foster City neighborhood guides
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