home / san jose / kelley park & santee
san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Kelley Park & Santee, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Between I-280 and US 101 south to Phelan Ave and Needles Dr: Kelley Park with Happy Hollow and History Park on Coyote Creek, the shopping strip along Story Rd, and the Santee and Rock Springs blocks.
Kelley Park & Santee by the numbers
kelley park & santee 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 Kelley Park & Santee (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in kelley park & santee · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Kelley Park & Santee
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Kelley Park & Santee 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 (Kelley Park & Santee (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Kelley Park & Santee came to be
Kelley Park fills the bend of Coyote Creek south of Story Rd. History San Jose says the land was an orchard estate in 1951, when local residents bought 63 acres of the Kelley family's land for a future city park; the city later used bond funds to buy the rest, and the family name stayed on the park. Happy Hollow opened there in March 1961 on 7.5 acres bought from the family, closed in July 2008 for a rebuild and reopened on March 20, 2010, according to the zoo's history page.
The rest of the guide joined the city in pieces. On the city's annexation map, a sliver near I-280 is inside the original 1850 city limits, and the remainder came in through Jackson, Senter Road, McLaughlin and McKinley annexations from 1953 into the 1980s; the McLaughlin No. 3 annexation of July 31, 1959 is the largest single piece, about an eighth of the land. Listing records show fourplexes on Carnelian Dr from the early 1960s, condos on McQuesten Dr from 1980 and townhomes on Bevin Brook Dr from 1993 and 1994.
Coyote Creek is the main hazard. On February 21-22, 2017 the creek overtopped its banks, and the Rock Springs blocks between Senter Rd and the creek bore the brunt of the flooding, according to a local news report. Valley Water then added a vinyl sheet wall and an earthen berm there, and a February 2025 report said its first phase of permanent barriers, including an 8,500-foot wall along low-lying parts of the creek, was nearly done.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Story Rd splits the guide. North of it, between the creek and US 101, the land is mostly industrial and commercial (industrial park, commercial and combined industrial/commercial land cover most of it on the General Plan map): shopping centers line Story Rd, and about 50 acres of vacant land along the creek between Story Rd and I-280 has been the subject of calls for a recreation area; a 2023 local news report says the city has not committed to a plan.
South of Story Rd, east of McLaughlin Ave, the Santee blocks (Santee Dr, McQuesten Dr, Bacchus Dr, Audubon Dr, Carnelian Dr, Crucero Dr, Darwin Ct) mix detached houses, fourplexes and condo complexes. West of McLaughlin, Lucretia Ave, Roberts Ave, Clemence Ave, Owsley Ave and Walnut Woods Dr hold houses and apartment buildings. Across the creek, Bevin Brook Dr, Rock Spring Dr, Nordale Ave and Welch Ave sit between Senter Rd and Kelley Park.
On the city zoning map, open space (Kelley Park and the creek) covers about 27% of the land, planned developments about 11%, industrial park about 8%, single-family R-1-8 about 8% and Mixed Use Neighborhood about 7%, with smaller pieces of multifamily, two-family and commercial zoning. All of it is City of San Jose.
streets in kelley park & santee
- Story Rd
- Senter Rd (west edge)
- McLaughlin Ave
- Lucretia Ave
- Roberts Ave
- Phelan Ave (south edge)
- Holly Hill Dr (south edge)
- Needles Dr (south edge, west of the creek)
- Santee Dr
- McQuesten Dr
- Bacchus Dr
- Audubon Dr
- Carnelian Dr
- Clemence Ave
- Owsley Ave
- Walnut Woods Dr
- Bevin Brook Dr
- Rock Spring Dr
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Kelley Park & Santee
- park
Kelley Park
City regional park at 1300 Senter Rd on Coyote Creek; its pieces on the city parks layer (the main park, the zoo, History Park and two gardens) add up to about 172 acres, with the Leininger Center (city community center layer) and the creek trail.
- landmark
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Park and zoo inside Kelley Park, opened March 1961 and rebuilt from 2008 to 2010; about 19 acres on the city parks layer.
- landmark
History Park
History San Jose's park on Senter Rd: 32 original and reconstructed homes, businesses and landmarks, including a half-size, 115-foot replica of the city's 1881 electric light tower, first lit there on May 1, 1977.
- park
Coyote Creek Trail
The paved creek trail runs through Kelley Park; the Bay Area Ridge Trail lists a 13.1-mile paved segment from William Street Park, just north of I-280, south to Metcalf Park.
- park
McLaughlin Park and Fair Swim Center
A 2-acre city park at 1227 McLaughlin Ave, and the city's Fair Swim Center and playground off Bacchus Dr near Holly Hill Dr (city parks layer).
- shopping
Story Rd
Shopping centers and restaurants line Story Rd between Coyote Creek and US 101; the city's association list includes a Story Road Business Association for this stretch.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Kelley Park & Santee is in the Franklin-McKinley School District for elementary and middle grades and the East Side Union High School District for high school. Public schools inside the outline: Santee Elementary (1313 Audubon Dr), Robert F. Kennedy Elementary (1602 Lucretia Ave) and Bridges Academy (grades 7-8, 1702 McLaughlin Ave). McKinley Elementary on Macredes Ave, about 0.2 mile west of the creek, closed after the 2024-25 school year. Yerba Buena High (East Side Union High) is just south on Lucretia Ave. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the districts.
Franklin-McKinley School District site · East Side Union High guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- I-280, US 101 and I-680 meet at the north-east corner; Story Rd has an interchange with US 101 and runs west toward downtown.
- Buses: public maps show VTA routes 25 and 73 on Story Rd, route 72 on McLaughlin Ave and route 73 on Senter Rd; check VTA's current schedules.
- San Jose City Hall is about 1.8 miles straight-line north-west of the center; Tamien Caltrain is about 2.0 miles straight-line west.
- The paved Coyote Creek Trail runs through Kelley Park toward downtown and south to Hellyer County Park.
- Bikes: bike lanes on Story Rd and Phelan Ave, buffered lanes on Lucretia Ave and protected (Class IV) lanes on parts of McLaughlin Ave on the city's bikeway map.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Kelley Park & Santee: what we check
Buying here
- Flood: about 15% of the outline, along Coyote Creek, is Zone AE on the city's FEMA-based layer, and the Rock Springs blocks flooded in 2017. Check the FEMA map, ask for flood insurance quotes and look up the status of Valley Water's Coyote Creek flood protection work near the address.
- Liquefaction: the whole outline is in CGS liquefaction zones. Read the natural hazard disclosure and look for foundation work.
- Zoning changes block by block (single-family, two-family, multifamily, mixed use, commercial); check the zoning and permits for every unit in a duplex or fourplex.
- For condos and townhomes (McQuesten Dr, Bevin Brook Dr and others), read the HOA documents and check current dues and reserves.
- Expect traffic and noise near Story Rd, the freeways and Kelley Park on event days; visit on a weekend afternoon.
Selling here
- If the home is in Zone AE or flooded in 2017, disclose it and share repair records, permits and any flood insurance history.
- Give straight-line distances to Kelley Park, Happy Hollow and the Coyote Creek Trail.
- For multi-unit properties, have leases, rent rolls and unit permits ready.
- Note freeway access (I-280, US 101, I-680) and the short drive to downtown.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Kelley Park & Santee questions, answered
What is in Kelley Park?
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, History Park, gardens, the Leininger Center and the Coyote Creek Trail, on about 172 acres across the city's parks layer records.
Did this area flood in 2017?
Yes. Coyote Creek overtopped its banks on February 21-22, 2017, and the Rock Springs blocks between Senter Rd and the creek were hit hardest. Valley Water has since built barriers there; check the current project status.
Which schools serve Kelley Park & Santee?
Franklin-McKinley School District for elementary and middle grades (Santee, Kennedy and Bridges Academy are inside) and East Side Union High for high school. Check the exact address with the districts.
How far is downtown San Jose?
About 1.8 miles straight-line from the center to City Hall, by Story Rd, I-280 or the Coyote Creek Trail.
What ZIP codes are used here?
95122 for most homes and 95112 for the blocks west of Coyote Creek, including Kelley Park.
next door
More San Jose neighborhood guides
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Kelley Park & Santee? 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 Kelley Park & Santee? Send us a note.
