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palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Green Acres, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Early-1950s houses on the southwest side of El Camino Real, between Maybell Avenue and Adobe Creek, including the Green Acres I and II tracts on either side of Arastradero Road.
Green Acres by the numbers
green acres by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Green Acres: southwest of El Camino Real, Maybell Ave to Adobe Creek (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in green acres · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Green Acres
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Green Acres 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 (Green Acres: southwest of El Camino Real, Maybell Ave to Adobe Creek (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Green Acres came to be
Green Acres was orchard land before it was a subdivision. The city's history of Briones Park, on Maybell Avenue, notes that the park land was once an apricot orchard, and apricot trees were planted there in a 2005 renovation to mark it. The park opened as Arastradero Road Park and was renamed in 1967 for Juana Briones (1802-1889), a landowner and businesswoman who died in nearby Mayfield.
The houses came in a rush after World War II. County assessor records date most of the roughly 410 single-family homes to 1950 through 1956. Palo Alto Online describes two named sections. Green Acres I is the small block from Arastradero Road to Glenbrook Drive, between Los Palos and Pomona avenues, and nearly all of it dates to 1950. Green Acres II runs from Maybell Avenue to Arastradero Road, between Coulombe Drive and Georgia Avenue, and was built mostly in the early and mid-1950s. Each has had its own neighborhood association. The city's GIS neighborhood map also counts the 1950 blocks between Coulombe Drive and El Camino Real, around Suzanne Drive and Kelly Way, as Green Acres.
The last orchard parcel made headlines. In 2013 the City Council rezoned a 2.47-acre former orchard at 567 Maybell Ave. for a denser housing plan, and a voter referendum that fall revoked the approval. In 2016 the council approved 16 single-family homes on the site instead, and county records date the new houses on Orchard Court to 2021-22.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Arastradero Road is the spine, running from El Camino Real southwest toward Foothill Expressway. In Green Acres II, Willmar Drive, Donald Drive and Hubbartt Drive fill the blocks between Georgia Avenue and Arastradero, with short courts such as Frandon Court and Maybell Way off Maybell Avenue and King Arthur's Court and Cherry Oaks Place off Arastradero. Lots there run about 7,300 to 8,200 square feet in assessor data.
Across Arastradero, Green Acres I is a compact pocket of Los Palos Avenue, Pomona Avenue, Fairmede Avenue, Los Palos Place and Los Palos Circle, ending at Glenbrook Drive. It has the biggest lots in the neighborhood, roughly 9,400 to 10,600 square feet, and Glenbrook backs onto Adobe Creek and the Los Altos line. Most of the Glenbrook houses north of Los Palos were built in the early 2000s.
Between Coulombe Drive and El Camino Real, Suzanne Drive, Kelly Way, McKellar Lane, Irven Court and Lorabelle Court have smaller lots, about 6,000 to 7,400 square feet, and the same 1950 vintage, with more rebuilds: about 43 of roughly 170 houses there date from 2000 or later. The whole neighborhood is zoned plain R-1 on the city map, with no single-story overlay, so a two-story rebuild can go up next to an original house, subject to the city's review.
streets in green acres
- Arastradero Road
- Maybell Avenue
- Georgia Avenue
- Coulombe Drive
- Willmar Drive
- Donald Drive
- Hubbartt Drive
- King Arthur's Court
- Frandon Court
- Maybell Way
- Cherry Oaks Place
- Driscoll Court
- Los Palos Avenue
- Pomona Avenue
- Fairmede Avenue
- Los Palos Place
- Los Palos Circle
- Glenbrook Drive
- Suzanne Drive
- Suzanne Court
- Kelly Way
- McKellar Lane
- Irven Court
- Lorabelle Court
- Alta Mesa Avenue
- Orchard Court
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Green Acres
- park
Briones Park
A 4.1-acre park at 609 Maybell Ave. with playgrounds, basketball courts, walking paths and picnic tables, open sunrise to sunset. A 4-foot cross-section of an old oak on the Maybell side has its rings keyed to dates in Juana Briones's life.
- park
Terman Park
Next door at 655 Arastradero Road: 7.7 acres of soccer and softball fields, basketball courts and paths, dedicated in 1985. During school hours it is reserved for Ellen Fletcher Middle School.
- landmark
Adobe Creek
The creek forms the Los Altos city line along the neighborhood's southeast side, behind Glenbrook Drive.
- landmark
Fire Station 5
Palo Alto Fire Station 5 is at 600 Arastradero Road, on the same city parcel as Briones Park.
- shopping
El Camino Real
Shops and services line El Camino Real on the east edge. The San Antonio Shopping Center area in Mountain View and downtown Los Altos are short drives away.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Green Acres is in the Palo Alto Unified School District. Three PAUSD campuses sit at its edges: Juana Briones Elementary (4100 Orme St.) across Maybell Avenue, Ellen Fletcher Middle School (655 Arastradero Rd., called Terman Middle School until the board renamed it in 2018) just south of Green Acres I past Pomona Avenue, and Gunn High School (780 Arastradero Rd.), whose campus begins just west of Georgia Avenue. Living next to a campus does not settle the assignment. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with PAUSD.
Getting around
- VTA Route 22 and Rapid 522 run on El Camino Real along the east edge; Rapid 522 stops at El Camino and Arastradero/Charleston.
- San Antonio Caltrain station (190 Showers Dr., Mountain View) is about 1 mile east in a straight line; California Avenue station is about 1.8 miles north (approximate).
- Arastradero Road runs southwest to Foothill Expressway, about 0.7 mile from the middle of the neighborhood (straight line). Northeast, it becomes Charleston Road across El Camino.
- The city's street data marks Maybell Avenue, Arastradero Road, Georgia Avenue and Donald Drive as school routes, so expect bikes and drop-off traffic at school start and end times.
- US 101 is about 2 miles east in a straight line (approximate), via Charleston Road and San Antonio Road.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Green Acres: what we check
Buying here
- No single-story overlay here: the city map shows plain R-1. Look at what the neighbors could build, and check the city's Individual Review rules if you plan a second story yourself.
- Lot sizes vary a lot by block, from about 6,000 sq ft near El Camino to over 10,000 in Green Acres I. Confirm the exact size, setbacks and any flag-lot status in the city's parcel report.
- Glenbrook Drive lots back onto Adobe Creek, and city parcel data flags several of them as partly in flood Zone A. Check the FEMA flood map, creek setbacks and any work limits near the bank.
- Most houses date from 1950 to 1956. Budget for inspections of the electrical panel, plumbing, sewer lateral, roof and foundation, and ask for permits on past additions.
- Visit at school start or end time. Arastradero Road and Maybell Avenue carry a lot of bike and car traffic to the three nearby campuses.
Selling here
- Say which section the house is in (Green Acres I, Green Acres II, or the blocks near El Camino) and state the lot size, because lot size varies the most here.
- Have permits and final sign-offs ready for additions and remodels; many 1950s houses here have been enlarged.
- For creekside lots on Glenbrook Drive, gather flood-zone information and any elevation certificate before listing.
- Pre-listing inspections (roof, sewer lateral, termite) take the guesswork out for buyers looking at 70-year-old houses.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Green Acres questions, answered
What is the difference between Green Acres I and Green Acres II?
They are two named sections. Green Acres I is the small block south of Arastradero Road between Los Palos and Pomona avenues, ending at Glenbrook Drive. Green Acres II is the larger area between Maybell Avenue and Arastradero, from Coulombe Drive to Georgia Avenue. The city's neighborhood map also includes the blocks between Coulombe and El Camino Real.
Is there a single-story overlay in Green Acres?
No. The city zoning map shows plain R-1 throughout, so two-story houses are allowed under the city's normal review.
How old are the houses?
Most were built from 1950 to 1956, according to county assessor records. About 68 of the roughly 410 single-family houses date from 2000 or later.
Is Green Acres in Palo Alto or Los Altos?
Palo Alto, ZIP 94306. Adobe Creek, behind Glenbrook Drive, is the Los Altos city line.
What happened to the Maybell orchard?
A 2013 rezoning for a denser project on the 2.47-acre former orchard at 567 Maybell Ave. was overturned by referendum. The council approved 16 single-family homes there in 2016, and county records date them to 2021-22.
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