home / san bruno / downtown san bruno & belle air
san bruno neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air, San Bruno Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
San Bruno's original town: the San Mateo Avenue downtown and elevated Caltrain station, north to Tanforan and San Bruno BART, plus Belle Air's numbered avenues between the tracks and SFO's edge.
Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air by the numbers
downtown san bruno & belle air by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in downtown san bruno & belle air · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Loading listings…
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 (Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air came to be
This is where San Bruno began. The city's history page says the town is named for neighboring San Bruno Mountain and grew where Bayshore Road met the Mission Road and railroad route, filled in after the 1906 earthquake and was incorporated on December 23, 1914. County legal descriptions show the early tracts here: the original San Bruno Park maps and its First and Fifth Additions, filed in the county's lettered map books, with houses dated from the 1900s on.
The city's 2009 General Plan calls San Mateo Avenue a symbolic heart of the city, and the Transit Corridors Plan, adopted February 12, 2013, set rules for mixed-use and transit-oriented building along San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno Avenue and El Camino Real near the station. On November 4, 2014, voters approved Measure N, which allows buildings up to five stories on El Camino Real and San Bruno Avenue, four on San Mateo Avenue and seven in the station area. Caltrain's grade separation lifted the tracks over San Bruno, San Mateo and Angus avenues; trains began using the elevated structure over Memorial Day weekend 2013, and the station now sits on it at 833 San Mateo Avenue.
At the north end, the Tanforan shopping center and San Bruno BART sit at the South San Francisco line. BART's SFO extension, which includes San Bruno station, opened June 22, 2003. In 2023 the city began environmental review of a redevelopment of the 44-acre Tanforan site that its notice describes as about 1,000 apartments plus life-science and office space; check the city for the project's status. East of the tracks, Belle Air Park was recorded as one tract, and county records date most of its houses from the 1930s through the 1950s.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
West of the tracks, the San Bruno Park blocks form a tight grid between El Camino Real and Huntington Avenue. San Mateo Avenue is the commercial street; Green, Easton, Masson, Mills and Hensley avenues run beside it, and Kains, Angus, Sylvan, Euclid and San Bruno avenues cross. Around I-380, Montgomery, Pacific and Atlantic avenues, Scott, Herman and Diamond streets and Bayshore Circle (the San Bruno Park Fifth Addition) fill the land between San Mateo Avenue, Huntington Avenue and Tanforan.
The blocks are small and mixed. A quarter of house lots are about 3,000 square feet or less and the median is about 5,000. R-2, transit-oriented, downtown commercial and light industrial zoning share the area, so duplexes, three- and four-unit buildings, small apartment buildings, shops, auto businesses and new mid-rise projects sit within a few blocks of each other. County records put the median house at about 1940.
Belle Air's streets are numbered: 1st through 7th avenues run north from Angus Avenue East across San Bruno Avenue East toward Walnut Street, crossed by Pine Street, and end at SFO land and US-101. About 560 of its 727 parcels hold single houses, on lots of mostly 3,750 to 5,000 square feet, with duplexes and small apartment buildings mixed in. Belle Air Elementary (450 Third Avenue) and Lion's Field sit at its south end. Beyond the city line, the General Plan describes about 80 acres of SFO open space between the city and US-101 that is designated sensitive species habitat.
streets in downtown san bruno & belle air
- San Mateo Avenue
- Huntington Avenue
- San Bruno Avenue East
- Green Avenue
- Easton Avenue
- Masson Avenue
- Mills Avenue
- Hensley Avenue
- Euclid Avenue
- Kains Avenue
- Angus Avenue East
- Sylvan Avenue
- Montgomery Avenue
- Pacific Avenue
- Atlantic Avenue
- Scott Street
- Herman Street
- Bayshore Circle
- Forest Lane
- 1st Avenue
- 2nd Avenue
- 3rd Avenue
- 4th Avenue
- 5th Avenue
- 6th Avenue
- 7th Avenue
- Pine Street
- Walnut Street
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air
- shopping
San Mateo Avenue
Downtown's main street, with cafes and restaurants the city notes have been growing; the city's streetscape plan calls for wider sidewalks in places, decorative crosswalks, signs and street furniture.
- shopping
Tanforan shopping center
The regional mall at El Camino Real and Sneath Lane, next to San Bruno BART, is the subject of a major redevelopment proposal under city review.
- landmark
San Bruno Caltrain station
Elevated station at 833 San Mateo Avenue with 178 parking spaces, bike racks and BikeLink lockers; pedestrian underpasses near Sylvan Avenue, at the station and between Euclid Avenue and Walnut Street link the two sides of the tracks.
- park
Forest Lane, Bayshore Circle and pocket parks
The General Plan's park table lists Forest Lane Park (4 acres), Bayshore Circle Park (1 acre), and the Herman Tot Lot and Posy Park pocket parks (a quarter acre each) in the downtown blocks.
- park
Belle Air parks
Seventh and Walnut Park (1 acre, 901 7th Avenue), Seventh Avenue Park (half an acre) and Lion's Field (3 acres, at Lions Field and 1st Avenue) serve Belle Air.
- landmark
City Hall and the library
City Hall (567 El Camino Real) and the San Bruno Public Library (701 Angus Avenue West) are just across El Camino Real from the downtown grid.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Census maps put all of downtown and Belle Air in the San Bruno Park School District (K-8) and the San Mateo Union High School District. Belle Air Elementary (450 Third Avenue) is in Belle Air, and Allen Elementary (875 West Angus Avenue) is just across El Camino Real. Capuchino High School is at 1501 Magnolia Avenue in south San Bruno. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with both districts.
San Bruno guide: school districts · San Mateo Union High guide
Getting around
- San Bruno Caltrain (833 San Mateo Avenue) is within about a half mile straight-line of roughly 87% of parcels here, and nearly every parcel is within a half mile of Caltrain or BART; SamTrans routes 41, 142 and EPX stop at the Caltrain station.
- San Bruno BART (1151 Huntington Avenue) is about 0.4 mile straight-line from the center of the guide, with a parking garage and BikeLink lockers.
- I-380 crosses the north end, linking US-101 and SFO to the east with I-280 to the west; El Camino Real (State Route 82) forms the west edge.
- SFO lies just east across US-101, per the city's Housing Element.
- Three pedestrian underpasses cross the Caltrain line: near Sylvan Avenue, at the station and between Euclid Avenue and Walnut Street.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air: what we check
Buying here
- Flood: FEMA Zone AE (base flood elevation 10 feet, county panels effective April 5, 2019) covers about 335 Belle Air parcels on 3rd through 7th avenues, Angus Avenue East, Pine Street, Walnut Street and San Bruno Avenue East, where lenders on federally backed loans require flood insurance; most of the rest of Belle Air is in the 0.2% (shaded X) zone. OneShoreline, the county flood district, reports flooding there on October 24, 2021 and December 31, 2022 and runs a household flood-protection program. Ask for flood history, claims and any elevation certificate.
- Airport noise: the city's parcel map puts every Belle Air parcel in a 65, 70 or 75 dB band and the Montgomery, Pacific and Atlantic avenue blocks in the 70 dB band. SFO's insulation program covers homes inside the 65 dB contour of the 2019 Noise Exposure Map; ask whether the house was treated and whether an avigation easement is recorded on title.
- Liquefaction: the state's seismic hazard maps put about 1,690 of the 1,886 parcels here in a liquefaction zone, consistent with the Housing Element's note that the east side is filled marsh; expect it on the disclosure and in any engineering for additions.
- Zoning next door matters: transit-oriented and downtown zoning, Measure N heights and the Tanforan proposal mean taller buildings are allowed near the stations; check approved projects near the parcel. New homes in the 70 dB area need an airport land use override, per the Housing Element.
- Older and converted buildings: many houses date from the 1900s to the 1940s, and some were split into units; confirm the legal unit count, permits and the sewer lateral.
Selling here
- In Belle Air, have the FEMA zone, flood history, insurance details and any elevation certificate ready before listing.
- If SFO's program insulated the house, gather the window, door and ventilation paperwork; buyers will ask.
- Give straight-line distances to Caltrain, BART and San Mateo Avenue; nearly every parcel here is within about a half mile of either station.
- For lots in R-2 or transit-oriented zones, get the city's current standards so buyers can judge added-unit potential themselves.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air questions, answered
Is Belle Air in a flood zone?
Much of it is. FEMA's current county maps put about 335 Belle Air parcels on the eastern avenues in Zone AE, a special flood hazard area, and most of the rest in the 0.2% annual chance zone. Check the parcel's FIRM panel and ask about flood history.
How much does SFO affect downtown and Belle Air?
The city's Housing Element says overflight noise mainly affects neighborhoods east of San Mateo Avenue, and its parcel map puts Belle Air in the 65 to 75 dB bands. All of San Mateo County is in SFO's real estate disclosure area, and SFO runs a noise insulation program for eligible homes inside its 65 dB contour.
What is planned for Tanforan?
The city began environmental review in 2023 for redeveloping the 44-acre Tanforan site; its notice describes about 1,000 apartments plus life-science and office space and a possible hotel. Check the city's planning pages for the current status.
How close is Caltrain and BART?
Nearly every parcel is within about a half mile straight-line of either the Caltrain station at 833 San Mateo Avenue or San Bruno BART at 1151 Huntington Avenue; the north end around Tanforan is closest to BART.
What did Measure N change?
Approved by voters on November 4, 2014, it allows buildings up to five stories along El Camino Real and San Bruno Avenue, four along San Mateo Avenue and seven in the Caltrain station area, under the Transit Corridors Plan.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
Questions about Downtown San Bruno & Belle Air? Send us a note.
