The Lucas Valley Eichlers sit in two separate tracts in the hills of unincorporated Marin County, just north of San Rafael. Joseph Eichler's company started the lower tract, often called Lower Lucas Valley or "the Berries," in 1957. Upper Lucas Valley came in the 1960s, and it still has its own county zoning district and homeowners association.
This guide covers the history, architects, site plans and rules for both tracts. It draws on Marin County planning records, a 2019 review by Marin's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), university archives and published neighborhood histories, and it notes where they disagree.
Two tracts, two sets of dates
Lower Lucas Valley came first. A 2021 published history of the tract says Eichler began building in 1957, called it simply "Lucas Valley," and finished the houses by 1961. It counts 375 homes, on streets whose names end in "berry," such as Juniperberry Drive, Huckleberry Road, Appleberry, Kernberry and Greenberry. The same history says Marinwood's developer, who had started a tract of ranch and Storybook-style houses, ran into financial trouble, and Eichler bought an unbuilt portion.
Upper Lucas Valley followed, and here the sources disagree on the years:
The homeowners association's own history says Eichler developed 435 homes there from 1963 to 1967, and that other builders added 103 more.
A 2006 published history also gives 1963 through 1967, but counts about 130 ranch-style homes by another developer.
The 2021 history of the lower tract gives 1962 to 1966.
Marin LAFCo's 2019 review says in one chapter that Upper Lucas Valley "was developed in 1961 as one of Joseph Eichler's last projects," and in another that it dates to the early 1960s. It calls the subdivision the final Eichler project in Lucas Valley.
The association counts 538 homes in all. None of these documents explains the gap between 103 and about 130 non-Eichler homes, so check a house's builder in its permit and assessor records.
Architects and models
The 2006 published history credits Upper Lucas Valley's Eichlers to Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland. No city or county record we found names the architects, but the firms' timelines fit. UCLA's finding aid for A. Quincy Jones's papers lists his partnership with Frederick Emmons from 1951 to 1969. UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives says Oakland joined Anshen & Allen in 1950, became the principal designer for Eichler Homes there, and left in 1960 to start Claude Oakland & Associates, taking the Eichler account with him. See our Claude Oakland architect page.
The same history singles out the gable models, with two peaked roofs framing an atrium. The association describes wood-and-glass post-and-beam homes, many with flat roofs. Lower Lucas Valley is different: the 2021 history says only one of its models has an atrium, and that its houses have three or four bedrooms and two baths. None of the sources we read names the lower tract's architect.
If you have original drawings, look for the model number. Berkeley's finding aid for the Oakland & Imada Collection says Eichler models carry a subdivision location code and a model number, such as MC-184 for Marin County model 184.
A site plan with no poles or streetlights
Upper Lucas Valley was planned around its hill views. The association says its utilities are underground, it has no streetlights, and its streets are named for famous California mountains. The 2006 history adds that Eichler laid underground TV lines and put up two community antennas so houses wouldn't need rooftop aerials. LAFCo's review confirms that the neighborhood has its own community center, pool, stables, cable TV and broadband service.
Lower Lucas Valley has overhead utility lines, according to the 2021 history. Its parks and recreation come from the Marinwood Community Services District.
Who serves the valley: Marinwood CSD and CSA 13
Neither tract is inside a city. Marin LAFCo's 2019 San Rafael-area service review explains how the valley is served:
Marinwood Community Services District. The first Marinwood homes went up near Highway 101 in 1955. The district was formed in 1960 to provide fire protection and to secure bond financing for Marinwood Park, the firehouse, the community center and the pool. In 1972 the community voted to tax itself to buy ridge open space. The original 321 acres have grown to more than 812 acres.
County Service Area No. 13. The district's formation left out Upper Lucas Valley, which sits between the district's two separate areas. CSA 13 was formed in 1967 for fire protection, which it buys by contract from Marinwood's fire department. LAFCo approved park and recreation services for it in 1971, and in 2004 the county added erosion control and soil conservation to address flood risk along Miller Creek. The service area covers 624 acres.
Open space. The county owns an open space preserve of about 380 acres inside CSA 13. The 2006 history says voters approved a 1973 bond to buy about 286 acres of the hills behind the neighborhood. The documents don't explain the difference in acreage.
LAFCo also notes that a 2006 update left Lucas Valley and Marinwood out of San Rafael's sphere of influence; they are now in the Marinwood district's. Our Marinwood page covers the lower tract and its neighbors.
Marin County's Lucas Valley standards
LAFCo's 2019 review says Upper Lucas Valley has its own district in the county zoning code, with design guidelines to preserve the Eichlers' character. The 2006 history dates the special district to 1998. We couldn't read the county's current code online. The clearest county record we could read is a January 29, 2010 staff memo to the Marin County Planning Commission. It proposed amendments to Section 22.30.040 of the Development Code for the R1:BLV (Single-family Residential, Lucas Valley) district and asked the commission to recommend them to the Board of Supervisors. We didn't confirm what was adopted, so read these points from the proposed text as history, not current code:
Purpose. To preserve the Eichler-design houses' style and protect the design of lots on four courts with non-Eichler homes: Mount Tallac, Mount Wittenburg, Mount Palomar and Mount Muir.
Height. Eichler-design houses: 15 feet, six inches, or the permitted height of the existing house, whichever is greater, with a variance to go over. Mount Palomar Court lots: 16 feet, six inches. The other three courts: 30 feet.
Lot standards. A 25-foot front setback, 6-foot side setbacks, a rear setback of 20 percent of lot depth up to 25 feet, floor area up to 30 percent of the lot, and a 7,500-square-foot minimum lot.
Design review. New construction and changes would need county design review unless exempt. For an Eichler, the county would have to find that the work keeps the simple, rectilinear form, the post-and-beam detailing, window and door details, roof slopes, finishes and colors, entry courtyards, atrium features and deep roof overhangs.
Exemptions. Skylights and flush solar panels up to two feet above the roof; replacement and repair of siding, roofing, windows and doors; exterior painting; interior remodels; atrium enclosures no taller than the existing roofline; wood fences up to six feet in side and rear yards; decks and patios up to 18 inches above grade; and landscaping.
Staff recommended against writing the association's Eichler color palette into the zoning code, since the association already handles colors. The 2010 planning commission memo shows only what was proposed then, so ask the county's Community Development Agency for the current text of Section 22.30.040 before you plan a project. We found no Eichler-specific county standard for Lower Lucas Valley.
The association's review layer
In Upper Lucas Valley, a private layer sits on top of the county's. The association says every owner is bound by its publicly recorded CC&Rs and its Architectural Review Committee guidelines, and LAFCo's review describes long-standing CC&Rs that prevent second stories and teardowns. Published accounts describe a committee that reviews nearly every project visible from the street, an exterior palette of more than 60 muted earth-tone colors, garage doors painted to match the house, and a preference against very white roofs. Ask for the current guidelines before choosing paint or roofing.
Lower Lucas Valley has no such committee. The 2021 history says its original CC&Rs are no longer enforced, and that a recent count found 17 houses with added second stories and six with added attics. Compare any house there with its original model before you assume the roofline is original.
What to check before you buy or remodel
Which tract. Upper Lucas Valley is in the R1:BLV district and the association. Lower Lucas Valley is in Marinwood's service district and outside the association.
Who built it. Upper Lucas Valley includes 103 or about 130 non-Eichler homes, depending on the source, and the 2010 proposal gave the four non-Eichler courts their own height limits.
The height rule. The 2010 proposal tied the Eichler limit to the house's existing permitted height, so ask the county how the current code treats the roof you have.
Permits and plans. Ask the county for the permit history, including atrium enclosures, solar and roof work, and compare the house with its original model.
This is not legal advice. Confirm the rules for a specific parcel with Marin County planning staff, and ask an attorney about CC&R questions. For how these tracts fit Eichler's wider work, see Eichler architects: who designed which homes, and for the upper tract see our Upper Lucas Valley page.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Lucas Valley Eichlers?
A 2006 published history credits Upper Lucas Valley to Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland, whose new firm took over the Eichler account in 1960. No city or county record we found names the architects. The sources we read don't name the architect of the lower tract's models.
Is Lucas Valley part of the City of San Rafael?
No. LAFCo describes Upper Lucas Valley as unincorporated, and the 2021 history says Lower Lucas Valley has a San Rafael postal address but is outside city limits. Marin County planning and building rules apply to both tracts.
Can you add a second story to an Upper Lucas Valley Eichler?
LAFCo's 2019 review describes CC&Rs that prevent second stories. A 2010 county proposal would also have limited Eichler-design houses to 15 feet, six inches, or the existing permitted height, with a variance for anything taller. Ask the county for the current code and read the association's documents before you design anything.
Why is Lower Lucas Valley called "the Berries"?
Its Eichler streets end in "berry," such as Juniperberry Drive and Huckleberry Road. The Marinwood streets next door end in "stone" or "wood."
Related reading
Mill Valley Eichler History: Strawberry Point's Harbor Point
Eichler Architects: Who Designed Which Homes, Tract by Tract
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
Want help reading a Lucas Valley Eichler's model, permits or county rules? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
