home / menlo park / park forest
menlo park neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Park Forest, Menlo Park Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
About 80 townhouses built from 1964 to the late 1970s on Stone Pine Lane, Forest Lane and Buckthorn Way, between El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks, with three private parks and pools.
Park Forest by the numbers
park forest 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 Park Forest: Stone Pine Ln, Forest Ln and Buckthorn Way between El Camino Real and the tracks (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in park forest · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Park Forest
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Park Forest 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 (Park Forest: Stone Pine Ln, Forest Ln and Buckthorn Way between El Camino Real and the tracks (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Park Forest came to be
Park Forest was built as a townhouse community while this stretch of El Camino Real was still unincorporated San Mateo County, according to the Almanac, which describes about 75 multi-story townhomes, mostly from 1964. City parcel records show three recorded maps, Park Forest Unit No. 1 (Tract 816), Unit No. 2 (Tract 825) and Unit No. 3 (Tract 829), with 79 townhouse lots between them. Unit 1's 25 homes on Stone Pine Lane date from 1964; Unit 2's 39 homes are mostly from 1965, with a handful from 1970 to 1973; and Unit 3's 15 homes, also on Stone Pine Lane, were built between 1970 and 1979.
The area later joined Menlo Park, and the three homeowners associations, Park Forest I, II and III, were formed in 1979 to maintain the pools and parks, the Almanac reports. Each association runs one private park and pool for its residents and holds an annual meeting. City records show common lots of roughly 20,000 and 18,000 square feet on the Unit 2 and Unit 3 maps.
The neighbors show how El Camino Real filled in. Unit 1's recorded map also covers El Camino frontage, including an apartment property at 1670 El Camino Real that City records list with 82 units. Across Buckthorn Way sit older houses on the Menlo Park Villas map, some recorded as built in the 1910s and 1920s, and townhouses on the Deerfield Manor map from 1979, while six townhouses on the Park Forest side of Buckthorn Way date from 1997.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Stone Pine Lane and Buckthorn Way both leave El Camino Real and meet near the tracks, forming a loop, and Forest Lane is a short spur off Stone Pine. Nothing crosses the tracks, so every trip ends back on El Camino Real. The Almanac reports that the City allows daytime parking on the median strip of Stone Pine Lane.
The homes are attached two- and three-story townhouses. City records list Unit 1's homes as mostly two stories and Units 2 and 3 as mostly three, each on its own lot of about 1,850 to 2,000 square feet; the parcel records' use codes classify them as single-family parcels rather than condominium units. Unit 2's homes line Forest Lane, part of Stone Pine Lane and the even-numbered side of Buckthorn Way.
The townhouse lots are zoned R-3, while the El Camino Real frontage falls under the City's El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan. The City's 2022 neighborhood profile, which groups Park Forest with the Spruce Avenue and San Antonio Street blocks, notes that about half of that combined area is in the specific plan, that Caltrain tracks limit connections to the north and that there are no public parks inside; City parcel data lists every Park Forest lot in FEMA Zone X.
streets in park forest
- Stone Pine Lane
- Forest Lane
- Buckthorn Way
- El Camino Real
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Park Forest
- park
Park Forest I, II and III parks and pools
Three private parks with pools, one per association, maintained by the homeowners associations for their residents, per the Almanac.
- park
Holbrook-Palmer Park (Atherton)
Atherton's 22-acre park at 150 Watkins Avenue is about a quarter mile north as the crow flies, beyond the tracks and Felton Gables; groups of 12 or fewer need no day-use permit.
- shopping
Downtown Menlo Park
Santa Cruz Avenue at El Camino Real is about 0.65 mile away in a straight line, Trader Joe's on Menlo Avenue about 0.7 mile and Safeway at 525 El Camino Real about 0.9 mile, per OpenStreetMap locations.
- landmark
Menlo Park Caltrain station
1120 Merrill Street, about 0.6 mile southeast in a straight line.
- landmark
Encinal Avenue Caltrain crossing
A block southeast, one of Menlo Park's four at-grade crossings; the City began a train-horn quiet-zone feasibility study in 2022.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
City parcel data and U.S. Census school-district maps put Park Forest in the Menlo Park City School District and the Sequoia Union High School District; the Almanac's neighborhood profile lists Laurel School, Encinal School, Hillview Middle School and Menlo-Atherton High School as the nearby public schools. Encinal School (195 Encinal Avenue) is about 0.45 mile northeast in a straight line. Attendance boundaries change, so confirm any specific address with the district.
Menlo Park City Schools guide · Las Lomitas guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Caltrain: Menlo Park station (1120 Merrill Street) is about 0.6 mile southeast in a straight line.
- Bus: SamTrans's ECR route runs on El Camino Real between the Palo Alto Transit Center and Daly City BART, per OpenStreetMap route data; check SamTrans for current stops.
- Driving: El Camino Real (State Route 82) is at the entrance; US 101 is about 1.8 miles away at Marsh Road in a straight line.
- Walking: downtown's Santa Cruz Avenue shops are about two-thirds of a mile southeast, and the Almanac notes the easy walk to downtown and the El Camino Real restaurants.
- Parking: daytime parking is allowed on the Stone Pine Lane median, per the Almanac.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Park Forest: what we check
Buying here
- Get the HOA documents for the right association (Park Forest I, II or III): budget, reserves, pool and park costs, CC&Rs and rules. Listing sources disagree on dues, so confirm the current figure in writing.
- Find out exactly what you are buying: your own lot plus association membership. Ask who maintains roofs, exteriors and shared walls, and check the CC&Rs before planning exterior changes.
- El Camino Real is out front and Caltrain is out back, with an at-grade crossing at Encinal Avenue a block away. Visit at rush hour and in the evening to judge noise.
- Parking is tight; the Almanac lists traffic and parking as the biggest changes over time. Count garage and driveway spaces and ask about guest rules.
- For a 1960s or 1970s townhouse, check the roof age, windows, electrical panel, plumbing, insulation and sound between shared walls, and ask whether early permits are in San Mateo County files from before annexation.
- The El Camino Real frontage is in the City's specific plan area, where larger buildings are allowed; check pending projects next door.
Selling here
- Have the full HOA packet ready, including the reserve study and pool and park budgets, for your specific association.
- Say which unit and phase your home is in (1964, 1965 or 1970s), with stories and floor plan; buyers compare them.
- Lead with the location: Caltrain and downtown are both about two-thirds of a mile or less in a straight line.
- Order pre-inspections and describe noise and parking plainly; it shortens negotiations.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Park Forest questions, answered
How many homes are in Park Forest?
City parcel records show 79 townhouse lots on three recorded maps; the Almanac counts about 75 townhomes.
When was Park Forest built?
In phases: Unit 1 in 1964, Unit 2 mostly in 1965 with a few homes from 1970 to 1973, and Unit 3 from 1970 to 1979, per City records.
Does Park Forest have an HOA?
Yes, three: Park Forest I, II and III, formed in 1979. Each maintains one private park and pool. Dues vary, so check the current documents.
Is Park Forest in Menlo Park?
Yes. It was built while the area was unincorporated San Mateo County and was later annexed to Menlo Park.
Which schools serve Park Forest?
Menlo Park City School District and Sequoia Union High School District. Confirm the exact address with the district.
How far is the Caltrain station?
Menlo Park's station on Merrill Street is about 0.6 mile southeast in a straight line.
next door
More Menlo Park neighborhood guides
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Park Forest? 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 Park Forest? Send us a note.
