The Meadow Park Eichler tract in Palo Alto is a 1957–1958 neighborhood of 75 lots, by the count in the city's 2018 Eichler design guidelines. It's one of 11 tracts in the guidelines' table with no architect named. It has had a single-story overlay since 1999, and by our count from the city's parcel map, 48 of its 76 parcels sit wholly or partly in a special flood hazard area.
This post covers what the city's records say about Meadow Park, its streets and build years, the open question of who designed it, how its overlay was recorded, and what the creek and flood labels mean for a house there. Where the records leave gaps, we say so. For homes across the city, see our Palo Alto mid-century modern page.
What the city's records say
The guidelines' table of Palo Alto Eichler tracts gives Meadow Park two facts: 1957–1958 and 75 lots. The architect column is blank. A footnote says the lot counts come from city GIS files and don't necessarily match the number of homes.
On the guidelines' citywide map, Meadow Park is tract number 22, shaded as part of an overlay, with the label "Adobe Creek" just beside it. Number 11, Charleston Gardens, adjoins it to the south and isn't shaded. The table dates Charleston Gardens to 1954 and credits it to Jones & Emmons, with 79 lots.
The city's June 2015 staff report on single-story overlays lists "Meadow Park Tract 1722 and portions of 1977 (76 lots), Ordinance 4541." The report's map labels the area R-1(8000)(S) along Charleston Road, taking in Gailen Avenue, Gailen Court, Grove Avenue, Bibbits Drive and Louis Road, with a waterway drawn along its northwest edge.
The county's online index of recorded maps, which runs to about 1957 and is missing several 1950s volumes, has no entry for Tract 1722 or Tract 1977. No map in it lists Gailen Avenue or Bibbits Drive.
Streets and build years
By our count, the parcel map in November 2026 shows 76 addressed parcels zoned R-1 (8000)(S) in Meadow Park, matching the 2015 report's 76 lots:
Gailen Avenue: 24 parcels (12 from 1957, 12 from 1958).
Grove Avenue: 21 parcels, all from 1958.
Bibbits Drive: 10 parcels, all from 1957.
Louis Road: 8 parcels, all from 1957.
East Charleston Road: 7 parcels (6 from 1957, 1 from 1975).
Gailen Court: 6 parcels, all from 1957.
That's 75 parcels with 1957 or 1958 build years, the same as the guidelines' 75 lots, plus one from 1975, which can mean a newer house, though the map doesn't say. One more parcel, with no address, is only partly inside the overlay. We don't pick between the city's 75 and 76.
The two build years and two tract numbers suggest Meadow Park went up in phases, with Grove Avenue last. But we found no map that says which streets are in Tract 1722 and which in Tract 1977, so that's our reading, not a record.
One naming caution. Five rows in the city's table have "meadow" in the name, and the guidelines date them years apart: Charleston Meadows (1950–1951, Anshen & Allen, 158 lots), Fairmeadow (1951–1954, A. Quincy Jones, 300), Greenmeadow No. 1 & No. 2 (1954–1955, Jones & Emmons, 244), Greenmeadow No. 3 (1961–1962, Claude Oakland, 27) and Meadow Park. The table also lists a 1959 tract of five lots as "No Name (Louis Road)." By our count, none of the Meadow Park overlay parcels shows a 1959 build year.
Who designed Meadow Park?
We don't know, and the city's table doesn't say. The guidelines say Anshen & Allen and Jones & Emmons were both central to new Eichler subdivisions until 1960, and the table credits Charleston Gardens next door to Jones & Emmons. Neither fact names Meadow Park's architect, and we found no tract map, permit set or staff report that does.
The original permit set or plans for a house may name the designer, so ask the city what it has on file. Our guide to Eichler architects, tract by tract covers the firms and how the city credits their work.
The 1999 overlay
The city clerk's ordinance list records Ordinance 4541, passed on January 11, 1999, as changing "a portion of Tract 1722 and a portion of Tract 1977 known as Meadow Park" from R-1 to R-1(S). The 2015 report's wording, "Tract 1722 and portions of 1977," differs on whether all of Tract 1722 is included. We don't know which is more exact.
The parcel map and the 2015 map show the zoning as R-1 (8000)(S), with a lot-size number the ordinance list doesn't mention. In the 2007 printing of the zoning chapter attached to the 2015 report, R-1 subdistricts are "based on minimum lot size," and R-1 (8,000) sets a minimum site area of 8,000 square feet. By our count, 39 of the 62 Meadow Park parcels with a recorded lot size are smaller than that. Recorded sizes run from about 6,350 to 12,620 square feet, with a median near 7,810. The same printing says a lot smaller than the minimum may be used under section 18.40.080. Ask the city how the subdistrict applies to an existing lot before you plan a lot split or rebuild.
By our count, every overlay parcel lists a historic status of "none." For 62 of them the parcel map gives a 17-foot height limit. For the other 14, it says it can't assess one because of a creek, flag lot or easement configuration. As posted in November 2026, Municipal Code section 18.12.100 limits overlay homes to one habitable floor, with lofts and mezzanines counted, and to 17 feet. In a special flood hazard area, that cap rises by half of any increase needed to reach the base flood elevation, up to 20 feet. Our single-story overlay guide covers how overlays are added and removed.
Adobe Creek and flood zones
By our count, flood labels split Meadow Park:
45 parcels are labeled AE10.5.
28 are in zone X.
3 are split between X and AE10.5.
The pattern follows the streets. All 24 Gailen Avenue parcels are AE10.5, and every Bibbits Drive and Gailen Court parcel is AE10.5 or split. Seven of Louis Road's eight are AE10.5. On the other side, 20 of Grove Avenue's 21 parcels and all seven on East Charleston Road are zone X. Fourteen parcels, 12 of them on Gailen Avenue, are flagged as near a creek, with a note that work "may require SCVWD review," an abbreviation for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
FEMA lists AE among its special flood hazard areas, the land a flood with a 1-percent chance in any year is expected to cover, and describes zone X as moderate or minimal flood hazard. The guidelines describe AE areas as places where flood water is "ponded," with a somewhat level surface like a lake. On Meadow Park's AE lots, Municipal Code section 16.52 is the rule to know. As the 2018 guidelines summarize it, the section covers new construction and "substantial improvement" in a special flood hazard area, and any improvement, however small, to a structure there built or substantially improved since February 15, 1980. The lowest floor must sit above the flood level, which in effect rules out basements. That's where the overlay's flood allowance, described above, comes in.
The parcel map doesn't explain the "10.5" in the AE label, so ask the city, or check the FEMA map, for the elevation that applies. FEMA's flood zone definitions are a useful starting point. This is general information, not legal advice. Before you buy, remodel or rebuild, confirm the current flood zone and rules with the City of Palo Alto, and ask an insurance professional about flood coverage.
Checking a Meadow Park house
In Meadow Park, the flood label, the creek flag and even whether the map can assess a height limit change from lot to lot, so start with the parcel report for the specific address. Then request the building permit history; our guide to checking permit history walks through it. The guidelines say the city doesn't enforce CC&Rs, though residents may, and that many have been forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed Meadow Park?
No record we found says. The city's table leaves the architect column blank for Meadow Park, and it credits Charleston Gardens next door to Jones & Emmons.
Does Meadow Park have a single-story overlay?
Yes. The city clerk's ordinance list says Ordinance 4541, passed on January 11, 1999, changed portions of Tracts 1722 and 1977 from R-1 to R-1(S). By our count, 76 parcels carry R-1 (8000)(S) zoning.
Is Meadow Park in a flood zone?
Partly. By our count, 48 of the 76 parcels are wholly or partly labeled AE10.5, a special flood hazard area, and 28 are in zone X. Check the label for the specific lot.
Is Meadow Park the same as Charleston Meadows or Greenmeadow?
No. The city's guidelines list them as separate tracts: Charleston Meadows (1950–1951), Greenmeadow No. 1 & No. 2 (1954–1955), Meadow Park (1957–1958) and Greenmeadow No. 3 (1961–1962).
Related reading
Charleston Meadow Eichler History: Palo Alto's Anshen & Allen Tract
Greenmeadow Eichler History: Palo Alto's Jones & Emmons Tract
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
Thinking about buying or selling in Meadow Park? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
