Terra Linda San Rafael Eichlers

About Terra Linda

Developers sold former ranch land at Terra Linda in 1953 for a master-planned town, and the first homes were modern Alliance houses. When that venture ran into financial trouble, Eichler took over home building in 1955, and Terra Linda became his first Marin subdivision.

Terra Linda North’s roughly 630 homes are compact one-story pre-atrium models from 1955–1956, three or four bedrooms, by Anshen & Allen or Jones & Emmons; a hilly part has about a dozen original two-story Eichlers. A later section from about 1960–1961 sits farther up the canyon near Santa Margarita Park, and Terra Linda South, about a mile away, was built from 1958 to 1960 and includes atrium models.

The North Eichlers lie north and west of Manuel T. Freitas Parkway and west of Las Pavadas Avenue; the South section lines Nova Albion Way, Devon Drive and Golden Hinde Boulevard. A 2004 city overlay that neighbors pushed for bars second-story additions, and most houses still look intact from the street.

built

1955–1961

Eichler homes

nearly 850 across the North, Santa Margarita and South sections (Eichler Network, 2021); about 630 in Terra Linda North (PCAD)

architect

Anshen & Allen and Jones & Emmons (for Terra Linda North; the later sections’ architects aren’t confirmed)

builder

Eichler Homes

city

San Rafael, Marin County

Streets

Las Colindas Road and Las Pavadas Avenue mix Eichlers with Alliance homes, so they aren’t matched here.

Sources: PCAD (University of Washington); Eichler Network, “Taking to the Hills” (2021) and “Active Neighbors Add to the Mix in Marin” (2021); San Francisco Chronicle (2003); San Rafael Municipal Code chapter 14.14 via a third-party copy.

Eichler sales on these streets

Loading recent Eichler sales…

Closed sales reported to the MLS whose listings mention Eichler, on this tract’s streets. Homes that sold privately, or whose listings don’t say Eichler, won’t appear.

Buying or selling a Terra Linda Eichler

• Radiant heatMost Eichlers were built with hot-water radiant heat in the slab. Ask whether the original system still runs, has been repaired or was replaced, and get a radiant-heat specialist to look before you remove contingencies.
• The roofThe low-slope roofs and their insulation are a common upgrade. Ask for the roof’s age, material and any permits.
• Glass and wallsOriginal single-pane glass and thin wall panels are typical. Many owners have upgraded; ask what was done and whether it was permitted.
• San Rafael rulesSan Rafael’s 2004 Eichler and Alliance Homes overlay limits homes in mapped all-Eichler neighborhoods to 17 feet and one habitable floor, and sends roof raises over 6 inches, pitch changes, clerestories and covered atriums to design review. The code text we read is a third-party copy, so confirm the parcel’s zoning and current rules with the city.
• Eichler or Alliance?About 200 Alliance homes from 1954–1955 border the Eichler sections, and some have been marketed as Eichlers. Alliance homes have sloped plank ceilings in nearly every room, which Eichlers lack.
• Rooftop equipmentThe city says most roofline requests are about hiding air-conditioning units, which go through design review; ask what’s on the roof and whether it was approved.

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