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san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Penitencia Creek & Toyon, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
South Berryessa between I-680 and Toyon Ave, from Berryessa Rd to Mabury Rd: tract streets along Upper Penitencia Creek, the creek's park and trail, the Berryessa Community Center and a light rail stop.
Penitencia Creek & Toyon by the numbers
penitencia creek & toyon by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Penitencia Creek & Toyon (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in penitencia creek & toyon · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Penitencia Creek & Toyon
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Penitencia Creek & Toyon 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 (Penitencia Creek & Toyon (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Penitencia Creek & Toyon came to be
Penitencia Creek has watered this side of Berryessa for a long time: an 1888 county history described orchards on Capitol Ave (then spelled Capital Ave) irrigated from the creek. The tracts came with annexation. City records start with 'McKee No. 2' on August 13, 1957, then about 28% of today's outline in the 1960s (including 'McKee No. 12' on March 30, 1967, about 14%) and about 35% in the 1970s ('McKee No. 69', June 5, 1972, about 13%). The blocks around San Pablo Ave, San Mardo Ave, Joanne Ave, Gridley St, Linda Vista St and Bard St were unincorporated county land until 'Penitencia No. 77' on November 12, 2010.
The creek corridor became a chain of public land. The county describes Penitencia Creek as a linear park and regional trail of about 163 acres that combines several agencies' parkland and runs about four miles from Alum Rock Park to Coyote Creek; inside this guide the city's Penitencia Creek Park (about 38 acres) holds the Berryessa Community Center, and the city's parks layer lists other reaches of the parkway inside the outline as county-owned. The city's trail layer marks the creek trail as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail route.
VTA light rail reached Capitol Ave on June 24, 2004, with the Penitencia Creek stop at Capitol Ave and Penitencia Creek Rd. The General Plan marks the station area and the N. Capitol Av/Berryessa Rd corner as future urban villages; the city's growth-area layer shows no approved village plan for either yet.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
North of the creek, Summerdale Dr anchors a set of 'Summer' streets (Summerview Dr, Summerheights Dr, Summerwood Ct, Summerwind Ct), with Flanders Dr, Lenark Dr, Matterhorn Dr, Maxey Dr and Wilsham Dr toward Piedmont Rd. South of the creek, the Glen streets (Glen Firth Dr, Glen Heather Dr, Royal Glen Dr, High Glen Dr, Kirk Glen Dr) run toward Mabury Rd, and Viceroy Way, Stonecrest Way, Crystal Creek Dr, Vista Creek Dr and Creek Point Dr follow the creek's line.
Near Capitol Ave and Penitencia Creek Rd, planned developments add the palm-named courts (Date Palm Ct, Fan Palm Ct, King Palm Ct, Royal Palm Ct, Las Palmas Way) and the Rymar streets, plus condominium and multifamily blocks. On the east side, toward Toyon Ave, San Pablo Ave, San Marino Ave, San Mardo Ave, Joanne Ave, Gridley St, Linda Vista St, Bard St, Pepper Tree Ln and Holly Dr make up the blocks annexed in 2010. The city zoning map shows mostly R-1-8 single-family zoning, with planned developments and commercial land along Berryessa Rd near Capitol Ave and Morrill Ave.
All of the land is City of San Jose. Mailing ZIP codes change by block: 95133, 95127 and 95132 all appear here (Census ZIP areas and county road data), so check the ZIP for the exact address.
streets in penitencia creek & toyon
- Berryessa Rd
- Capitol Ave
- Penitencia Creek Rd
- Piedmont Rd
- Toyon Ave
- Mabury Rd
- Golf Dr
- White Rd
- Summerdale Dr
- Glen Heather Dr
- Viceroy Way
- Flanders Dr
- Las Palmas Way
- San Pablo Ave
- Joanne Ave
- Gridley St
- Pelleas Ln
- Bard St
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Penitencia Creek & Toyon
- park
Penitencia Creek Park and Berryessa Community Center
The city park (about 38 acres on the city layer) runs along the creek, with the Berryessa Community Center at 3050 Berryessa Rd. A dog park of about an acre on the trail west of Piedmont Rd opened in June 2024 (city news release).
- trail
Penitencia Creek Trail
A paved trail along Upper Penitencia Creek through the city and county parkland, about four miles in all from Alum Rock Park to Coyote Creek (county parks); marked on the city layer as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail route.
- park
Cimarron Park
A city neighborhood park of about 6.6 acres at 756 Pelleas Ln, on the east side (city parks layer).
- transit
Penitencia Creek light rail stop
In the Capitol Ave median at Penitencia Creek Rd, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the middle of the guide's homes.
- shopping
Berryessa Rd at Capitol Ave
Commercial land lines Berryessa Rd near Capitol Ave and Morrill Ave on the north edge (city zoning map).
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Penitencia Creek & Toyon is in the Berryessa Union School District (elementary and middle grades) and the East Side Union High School District (Census district maps). Public schools inside the outline: Summerdale Elementary (1100 Summerdale Dr) and Piedmont Middle (955 Piedmont Rd). Toyon Elementary (995 Bard St) is one of three campuses the Berryessa board voted in December 2024 to close for the 2025-26 school year. East Side Union's Piedmont Hills High and Independence High are each about 1.3 miles straight-line from the middle of the guide. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
Berryessa Union School District site · East Side Union High guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- VTA light rail stops at Penitencia Creek Rd on Capitol Ave, inside the guide; the Berryessa stop is about 0.8 mile and McKee about 0.9 mile straight-line from the middle of the guide's homes.
- Berryessa/North San Jose BART is about 1.9 miles straight-line south-west.
- I-680 runs along the west edge, with interchanges at Berryessa Rd and at McKee Rd to the south.
- The Penitencia Creek Trail crosses the guide east-west, toward Alum Rock Park (its edge about 1.4 miles straight-line east) and Coyote Creek.
- Downtown San Jose (City Hall) is about 3.9 miles straight-line south-west.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Penitencia Creek & Toyon: what we check
Buying here
- Flood map: about 11% of the outline is FEMA Zone AO, along Capitol Ave, Penitencia Creek Rd, Las Palmas Way, Gilchrist Dr, the Rymar streets and nearby courts (city flood layer); most of the rest is Zone X or D. Check the FEMA map for the address and ask about flood insurance in Zone AO.
- Valley Water's Upper Penitencia Creek flood protection project covers about 4.2 miles of the creek from Coyote Creek to Dorel Dr in phases, with the reach from Capitol Ave to Dorel Dr, through this guide, in the last phase. Check the project's status; it can change flood maps over time.
- Planned developments and condominiums near Capitol Ave come with HOA documents and CC&Rs; ask for them and check current dues.
- On the blocks annexed in 2010 (San Pablo Ave, Joanne Ave, Gridley St and nearby), older additions may have been permitted by the county; check permit history with both agencies.
- Homes in the 1960s and 1970s tracts may still have original panels, plumbing and sewer laterals; inspect and get the lateral scoped.
Selling here
- Distance to the Penitencia Creek Trail, the community center and the light rail stop, in straight-line miles, is a fair point to make.
- Have the FEMA zone and any flood-insurance history ready for homes in the AO blocks.
- If the home backs onto the creek parkway, describe the access and fencing plainly.
- List upgrades (panel, roof, windows, sewer lateral) with dates.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Penitencia Creek & Toyon questions, answered
Where is Penitencia Creek & Toyon?
In south-east Berryessa, east of I-680 between Berryessa Rd and Mabury Rd, out to Piedmont Rd, Penitencia Creek Rd and Toyon Ave. Upper Penitencia Creek runs through the middle.
What is along the creek?
A chain of city and county parkland with a paved trail, the city's Penitencia Creek Park, the Berryessa Community Center at 3050 Berryessa Rd and a dog park that opened in 2024.
Is there light rail?
Yes. VTA's Penitencia Creek stop is on Capitol Ave at Penitencia Creek Rd, inside the guide. Berryessa/North San Jose BART is about 1.9 miles straight-line south-west.
Which school districts serve it?
Berryessa Union for elementary and middle grades and East Side Union High. Summerdale Elementary and Piedmont Middle are inside; Toyon Elementary was voted closed for 2025-26. Check the address with each district.
What ZIP code is it?
It depends on the block: 95133, 95127 and 95132 all appear here. Check the ZIP for the exact address.
Is it in a flood zone?
About 11% of the outline, near Capitol Ave and Penitencia Creek Rd, is FEMA Zone AO. Check the FEMA map for the address.
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