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Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
South of I-280 between S. 1st St / Monterey Rd and Coyote Creek / Senter Rd, down to Tully Rd: the Martha Gardens and Spartan Keyes blocks, SJSU's South Campus, industrial land and the Wool Creek Dr streets.
Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens by the numbers
spartan keyes & martha gardens by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in spartan keyes & martha gardens · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens 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 (Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens came to be
South of I-280 the old rail and packing-house district meets two small residential areas. The San Jose Industrial Lead rail line and its spurs, some shown as abandoned on public maps, cut diagonally across the blocks. A regional rail-history index of packing houses and a historic-site entry both place a can factory that filled a city block on Martha St near S. 5th St in the early 1900s, and the city's historic map marks about 22 acres along Keyes St, Martha St and E. Virginia St as an eligible packing-house district (eligible only, not designated).
The houses are concentrated north of Martha St between S. 1st and S. 7th St. The city's Martha Gardens Conservation Area covers about 21 acres there, from I-280 south to Martha St, and holds about 93 of the roughly 150 buildings the city's inventory lists in this outline; recorded styles are mostly Neoclassical (21 records), Queen Anne (20), Craftsman (18) and Italianate (12). The city's Martha Gardens Specific Plan area covers the blocks south of I-280 between S. 1st and S. 7th St (city growth-area map), and in 2022 the city amended that plan to allow a six-story building at S. 1st and E. Virginia St (a planning report and a city environmental notice). The Spartan/Keyes neighborhood association area covers about a quarter of the outline.
Farther south the land is mostly industrial and institutional: SJSU's South Campus with its stadium and athletic fields along S. 10th St and E. Alma Ave, the city's Central Service Yard on Senter Rd, and the Senter Road and Monterey Business Corridor employment areas on the city's growth map. Across Needles Dr, the Rock Springs blocks were where Coyote Creek flooding began first and ran deepest on February 21, 2017 (a local news report); Valley Water has since built an interim floodwall there and is building the rest of its Coyote Creek flood protection project through 2028.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The residential grid north of Keyes St runs from S. 1st St east to S. 12th St, crossed by E. Virginia St, Martha St, Keyes St and E. Humboldt St, with short streets such as Lewis St, Patterson St, Bestor St, Hollywood Ave, Rose Pl and Spartan Ct. R-2 two-family zoning covers Martha St, E. Humboldt St, Bestor St and Hollywood Ave on the city's map; Margaret St and Patterson St carry mixed-use neighborhood zoning, and parts of S. 5th and S. 6th St are planned developments.
Expect early-1900s cottages and two-story houses beside small apartment buildings, live-work conversions and industrial buildings, often on the same block. The Martha Gardens Conservation Area and the Specific Plan both affect what can change on a lot, so read both before planning work.
South-east of the rail lines, Wool Creek Dr, Quinn Ave and Will Wool Dr are planned-development zoning on the city's map, with Burke St and Parrott St nearby and Shirakawa Elementary on Wool Creek Dr; Needles Dr, Smith Ave and Leo Ave are heavy industrial. Monterey Rd, S. 7th St, S. 10th St and Senter Rd are mostly industrial and commercial frontage.
streets in spartan keyes & martha gardens
- S. 1st St (west edge)
- S. 2nd St
- S. 3rd St
- S. 5th St
- S. 6th St
- S. 7th St
- S. 8th St
- S. 9th St
- S. 10th St
- S. 11th St
- S. 12th St
- E. Virginia St
- Martha St
- Keyes St
- E. Humboldt St
- Bestor St
- Hollywood Ave
- Lewis St
- Patterson St
- Margaret St
- E. Alma Ave
- Monterey Rd
- Senter Rd
- Wool Creek Dr
- Quinn Ave
- Will Wool Dr
- Burke St
- Parrott St
- Needles Dr
- Tully Rd
- Old Tully Rd
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens
- park
Bestor Art Park
A 0.8-acre city park on Bestor St between S. 5th and S. 6th St (975 S. 6th St on the city map), with a small community garden; the city issued a public-art call for the park in 2011.
- park
Planned park at S. 3rd and Keyes St
The city lists a future park of about 1.3 acres at S. 3rd and Keyes St (named Brickyard Park on its map); the city filed its environmental exemption in July 2025. Check the city's project page for timing.
- park
Kelley Park
Just east across Senter Rd: a 121-acre regional city park with Happy Hollow Park and Zoo and the San Jose History Park (city map).
- park
Rocksprings Park
A 0.5-acre city park at Rock Springs Dr and Needles Dr on the east edge; Valley Water lists it for tentative closure from November 2026 to December 2028 during flood work.
- landmark
SJSU South Campus
San Jose State's stadium, practice fields and other athletic facilities along S. 10th St and E. Alma Ave (public maps). Event traffic and parking rules apply on game days.
- shopping
Monterey Rd and S. 1st St
Auto, industrial and service businesses line Monterey Rd, S. 1st St and Senter Rd, inside the city's Monterey Business Corridor and Senter Road employment areas.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Two districts split the outline on public district maps. The Martha Gardens and Spartan Keyes blocks north and west of the rail spur (Martha St, Keyes St, E. Humboldt St, Bestor St, Hollywood Ave and S. 2nd to S. 12th St) are in San Jose Unified School District (K-12); Washington Elementary is just west across S. 1st St on Oak St. Lowell Elementary, just north of I-280 on S. 7th St, closed after the 2025-26 school year, and the district's notice moves its students to Washington Elementary. The Wool Creek Dr and Tully Rd side is in Franklin-McKinley School District and East Side Union High School District; Shirakawa Elementary (665 Wool Creek Dr) is inside, and the Franklin-McKinley board's February 2025 vote made it a K-6 school. Franklin Elementary is just south across Tully Rd. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
San Jose Unified guide · Franklin-McKinley School District site · East Side Union High guide
Getting around
- Caltrain and light rail: Tamien station is about 1.2 miles straight-line west of the center (about 0.6 mile from the S. 1st St edge); Virginia light rail is a similar distance.
- Bus: VTA routes run on S. 1st St, Monterey Rd, Senter Rd, Story Rd and Tully Rd; check VTA for current lines.
- Freeways: I-280 runs along the north edge; US 101 is about 1 mile east and SR 87 about 0.8 mile west (approximate).
- Trail: Coyote Creek trail reaches run along the creek near Kelley Park, across Senter Rd; check which segments are open during Valley Water's work.
- Downtown San Jose is about 1.5 miles straight-line north of the center.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens: what we check
Buying here
- Historic rules: the Martha Gardens Conservation Area covers the blocks north of Martha St, and the Martha Gardens Specific Plan sets land-use and design rules there. Ask the city's Planning Division how both apply before changing a house or adding units.
- Industrial neighbors: much of the outline is heavy or light industrial on the General Plan map, and the city's employment-area policies protect that land. Walk the block for truck traffic, noise and odors at different times of day.
- Flood: most of the outline is Zone D on the city's FEMA layer (flood hazard not determined), with Zone AH along parts of Monterey Rd, S. 1st St, E. Alma Ave and Hollywood Ave and a Zone AE strip by the creek on Wool Creek Dr and Tully Rd. Check the address on FEMA's map, ask about 2017 flood history near Needles Dr, and follow Valley Water's project schedule.
- Liquefaction: the whole outline is in a state seismic hazard zone for liquefaction; ask about foundations and retrofit work on older houses.
- Planned developments on Wool Creek Dr, Quinn Ave and Will Wool Dr may have HOAs; read the CC&Rs and budget.
- Stadium events: SJSU South Campus game days bring traffic and parking demand on S. 10th St and E. Alma Ave.
Selling here
- Pull the city's historic inventory record and any conservation-area permits for older houses in Martha Gardens.
- Note which school district serves the address; the San Jose Unified / Franklin-McKinley line runs through the outline.
- Disclose flood zone status and any past water damage, especially near the creek and Needles Dr.
- Give straight-line distances to Tamien station, downtown and Kelley Park.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Spartan Keyes & Martha Gardens questions, answered
Where is Martha Gardens?
The city's Martha Gardens Conservation Area covers about 21 acres south of I-280, north of Martha St, around S. 2nd and S. 3rd St. This guide also covers the Spartan Keyes blocks, SJSU's South Campus, the industrial land to the south and the Wool Creek Dr streets down to Tully Rd.
What kinds of homes are here?
Early-1900s cottages and houses (Neoclassical, Queen Anne, Craftsman, Italianate) on R-2 blocks near Martha St and E. Humboldt St, plus newer planned-development housing on parts of S. 5th and S. 6th St and along Wool Creek Dr.
Which school districts serve it?
San Jose Unified for the Martha Gardens and Spartan Keyes blocks, and Franklin-McKinley plus East Side Union High for the Wool Creek Dr side, which includes Shirakawa Elementary. Check the exact address with the district.
Did the 2017 Coyote Creek flood reach here?
Flooding began first and ran deepest in the Rock Springs blocks just across Needles Dr. Valley Water has built an interim floodwall there and expects its Coyote Creek flood protection project to finish by the end of 2028.
How far is Caltrain?
Tamien station (Caltrain and light rail) is about 0.6 mile straight-line west of the S. 1st St edge and about 1.2 miles from the center.
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