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east palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Westside, East Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The part of East Palo Alto on the creek side of US 101: apartment blocks along E. O'Keefe Street, Euclid Avenue and Woodland Avenue, a few houses and townhouses, and the University Circle offices.
Westside by the numbers
westside by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Westside (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in westside · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Westside
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Westside 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 (Westside (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Westside came to be
The Westside is the part of East Palo Alto that sits on the far side of the freeway, a strip of land between US 101 and San Francisquito Creek. The city's General Plan includes a Westside Area Plan (Chapter 11) for this side of town. Public road data shows the same street names on both sides of the freeway: Ralmar, Poplar, Oakwood, Addison, Dumbarton, Euclid, Capitol, Cooley and Clarke all turn up here as short blocks on the creek side of US 101, separated from the rest of their streets by the freeway.
At University Avenue, the city formed the University Circle redevelopment project area in 1998 on 22.8 acres that had held two- and three-story mixed-use retail and residential buildings. Acquisition, demolition and construction began in fall 1999. What stands there now, per the city's project page, is three office towers with about 450,000 square feet of offices, about 15,000 square feet of retail, underground and surface parking, and a 200-room hotel that began operating in January 2006. It is private commercial property, not housing.
Housing on the Westside is mostly apartment buildings. Census estimates for the block groups that make up the area (2020-2024 American Community Survey) put about four in five homes in buildings of 10 or more units and fewer than one in ten in detached houses, with close to two-thirds built in the 1950s and 1960s. One large block is slated for change: in November 2022 the City Council approved the Woodland Park Euclid Improvements project, 3.92 acres bounded by West Bayshore Road, Manhattan Avenue and O'Connor Street, which would replace 161 existing apartments with 605 new units in buildings of 5 to 13 stories, a central garage and about 0.9 acre of public open space. Check the city's planning pages for its current status.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Think of the Westside in three pieces. North of University Avenue, Green Street and West Bayshore Road run along the freeway, Donohoe Street parallels them a block in, and short blocks of Ralmar, Oakwood, Addison and Dumbarton link the two. Behind them, E. O'Keefe Street, Euclid Avenue and Manhattan Avenue hold much of the apartment housing: two 2020 Census blocks along E. O'Keefe Street counted close to 800 housing units between them.
The middle piece is University Circle, the office-and-hotel complex at the University Avenue interchange. South of it, Woodland Avenue follows the creek bank and Newell Road crosses into Palo Alto on the Newell Road bridge. Scofield Avenue, Circle Drive, Newell Court, Mission Drive and the short ends of Capitol, Cooley and Clarke Avenues fill the space between Woodland Avenue and West Bayshore Road, again mostly apartment buildings.
For buyers the for-sale stock is thin: listing records show a few detached-house sales on Circle Drive and townhouse sales on Mission Drive. Zoning follows the apartment pattern; the Woodland Park Euclid parcels are zoned R-HD-1 (Multiple Family High Density) and R-UHD (Multiple Family Urban High Density Residential), per the city's project page.
streets in westside
- Woodland Ave
- Newell Rd
- Newell Ct
- Scofield Ave
- Circle Dr
- Mission Dr
- University Ave
- W. Bayshore Rd
- Donohoe St
- Green St
- E. O'Keefe St
- O'Connor St
- Euclid Ave
- Manhattan Ave
- Capitol Ave
- Cooley Ave
- Clarke Ave
- Ralmar Ave
- Oakwood Dr
- Addison Ave
- Dumbarton Ave
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Westside
- landmark
University Circle
Three office towers, about 15,000 square feet of retail and a 200-room hotel (open since January 2006) at University Avenue and US 101, on the city's former 22.8-acre redevelopment project area. Private commercial property.
- landmark
San Francisquito Creek and the Newell Road bridge
The creek is the Palo Alto line, crossed by University Avenue and Newell Road. The City of Palo Alto's Newell Road bridge replacement is in site preparation, with construction anticipated in 2026, per the creek authority.
- landmark
Clarke Avenue overcrossing
A bike and pedestrian bridge over US 101, completed in July 2019, that lands on the Westside at West Bayshore Road and Newell Road and lines up with Clarke Avenue on the other side (city project page).
- park
Bell Street Park
Across the freeway at 2159 University Avenue, about 0.4 mile straight-line from University Circle: a jump-house area, a large lawn and a skate park, with no restrooms (city park list). There is no city park on the Westside itself.
- shopping
University Avenue interchange
A shopping center sits on the east side of the University Avenue interchange, about 0.3 mile straight-line from University Circle (public maps). Downtown Palo Alto is across the creek along University Avenue.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The Westside is in the Ravenswood City School District, which runs the elementary and middle grades, and the Sequoia Union High School District (Census school-district maps). No public school campus sits on the Westside; the Ravenswood district office is across US 101 at 2120 Euclid Avenue, and the district's middle school, Ravenswood Middle School, is at 2450 Ralmar Avenue north of Bay Road. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
Getting around
- US 101: the University Avenue interchange sits in the middle of the Westside; the Willow Road (State Route 114) interchange is the next one north (Census road data).
- On foot or bike, the Clarke Avenue overcrossing (completed July 2019) crosses US 101 from West Bayshore Road at Newell Road.
- Into Palo Alto: University Avenue and Newell Road bridge San Francisquito Creek; expect Newell Road bridge construction (anticipated in 2026).
- Caltrain: Palo Alto station is about 1.7 miles straight-line from the middle of the Westside; Menlo Park station is about 2.3 miles.
- SamTrans routes in East Palo Alto include 280 (Purdue/Fordham to the Palo Alto Transit Center), 281 (Belle Haven Community Campus to Stanford), 296 (Redwood City Transit Center to Bayshore/Donohoe) and the EPX express to San Bruno BART and San Francisco; check samtrans.com for current stops.
- University Avenue runs north through the city to Bayfront Expressway and State Route 84 at the Dumbarton Bridge approach (Census road data).
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Westside: what we check
Buying here
- Flood: on FEMA's current map about a third of Westside street addresses, mostly along Woodland Avenue, Mission Drive, Circle Drive and Scofield Avenue, are in zone A beside San Francisquito Creek; a few near the freeway are in zone AE and the rest are zone X. Check the FEMA map for the exact address, ask your lender about flood insurance, and ask about the temporary floodwall on Woodland Avenue that the creek authority plans to replace with a permanent one.
- Townhouses and condos: read the HOA's CC&Rs, budget, reserve study, insurance and recent minutes, and check current dues and any special assessments before you commit.
- Buying a rental building or a tenant-occupied unit: the city's rent stabilization program covers many rental units (2010 voter-approved ordinance, amended 2016); check whether a property is covered with the city's Rent Stabilization Program and ask for its rent registration records.
- Seismic: the whole Westside lies inside a state-mapped liquefaction zone (California Geological Survey, Palo Alto quadrangle, released 2006). Expect it on the natural hazard disclosure; new buildings and major additions may need a geotechnical report.
- Water and zoning: water may come from the city system or a small cooperative (the O'Connor Tract Co-op Water Company serves parts of East Palo Alto and a slice of the neighboring Willows), so confirm the provider for the address; check the zoning map before planning any change.
Selling here
- Townhouse or condo: gather the HOA documents, a current dues statement and any assessment notices before listing; buyers' lenders will ask for them early.
- Rental property: assemble leases, rent registration records and the Rent Stabilization Program status for each unit.
- Pull the FEMA zone for the address (zone A and zone X sit a block apart here) and any flood insurance history; an elevation certificate helps if the property is in zone A.
- Spell out the access: the University Avenue interchange, the Clarke Avenue overcrossing and the creek bridges into Palo Alto, with approximate distances.
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faq
Westside questions, answered
Is the Westside in Palo Alto or East Palo Alto?
East Palo Alto. The Westside is the part of the city on the southwest side of US 101. Palo Alto begins across San Francisquito Creek, and Menlo Park's Willows begins at the city line along Euclid Avenue. The area shares ZIP code 94303 with part of Palo Alto (Census ZIP code areas), so check the city named on the tax bill.
Are there houses or townhouses for sale on the Westside?
Occasionally. Listing records show a handful of detached-house sales around Circle Drive and townhouse sales on Mission Drive. Census estimates put fewer than one in ten Westside homes in detached houses; the rest are mostly in apartment buildings.
Is the Westside in a flood zone?
Partly. FEMA's current map puts the creek-side blocks (about a third of street addresses) in zone A and most of the rest in zone X. The creek authority lists a permanent Woodland Avenue floodwall, channel widening and bridge work as planned. Check the map for the exact address.
What is the Woodland Park Euclid project?
A redevelopment of 3.92 acres bounded by West Bayshore Road, Manhattan Avenue and O'Connor Street, approved by the City Council in November 2022. It would replace 161 existing apartments with 605 new units in 5- to 13-story buildings, a 625-space garage and about 0.9 acre of public open space (city project page and state CEQA record).
Does rent stabilization apply if you buy a rental here?
It may. The city's 2010 Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance covers most residential tenancies, with some exemptions. Check whether a property is covered with the city's Rent Stabilization Program before you buy.
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