Mills Estates is the Burlingame neighborhood where Eichler Homes built a subdivision in 1963 and 1964, according to an architecture archive's project index. Published accounts place the Mills Estates Eichler homes on steep hillside streets alongside ranch houses and other styles, and one says the Eichler subdivision never had a name of its own.
This guide covers where the Mills Estates name comes from, what the archive of Claude Oakland's architecture firm records about the subdivision, how to read a model number, the rooflines to look for, and the Burlingame rules that apply when you remodel. Official records on this subdivision are thin. Where a fact rests on a published account rather than a city or archive record, we say so.
Where the name comes from
Burlingame grew by subdivision. The city's Neighborhood Design Guidebook, updated in 2012, says large properties were divided into smaller lots and houses were built over the following years. It says 35 more subdivisions were recorded and annexed between 1912 and 1963, after the Easton Addition joined the city, and it lists "Mill's Estates" among the neighborhoods named for people who owned estates or developed the land into today's neighborhoods.
The guidebook also sketches the city's building eras. It says Burlingame's housing stock was developed between the 1890s and the 1960s, that most subdivisions were built out over about two decades after they were recorded, and that "from the 1940's to the 1960's wartime tracts, ranch-style and Eichlers were popular." It doesn't say when the Mills estate land was subdivided or who developed it, and we didn't find a city record today that does. Our 94010 mid-century modern homes page covers the Burlingame ZIP code today.
What the architecture archive records
The clearest record of the Eichler subdivision we found is in an architecture archive. UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives holds the Oakland & Imada Collection, the records of Claude Oakland's firm. The archives say Oakland joined Anshen & Allen in 1950, soon became the principal designer for Eichler Homes, Inc., and in 1960 left to start his own firm, Claude Oakland & Associates, taking the Eichler account with him. The Online Archive of California's guide to the collection says its Eichler project records cover projects commissioned by Joseph Eichler and his development companies.
The collection's project index has two Burlingame subdivision entries:
Mills Estate, listed with the development numbers No. 11 and No. 19, dated 1963–1964, with Eichler Homes, Inc. as developer.
Eichler Homes of Burlingame, a residential subdivision dated 1963–1964, also with Eichler Homes, Inc. as developer and cross-referenced to Mills Estate.
Published accounts agree on the timing. One says sales opened on the weekend in November 1963 that President Kennedy died, and another says early owners bought their homes new in 1963 and 1964. The archive guide dates Eichler Homes, Inc. to 1950–1968 and Joseph Eichler's later company, J. L. Eichler Associates, Inc., to 1966–1972.
How to read a BC model number
If you have original plans for a Mills Estates Eichler, look for the model number. The archive guide explains that Eichler house models are named with a subdivision location code and a model number, for example MC-184 for Marin County model 184. The project index's table of location codes gives "BC" for Mills Estate, Burlingame. The Mills Estate entry lists these models: BC-5, BC-24, BC-34, BC-34R, BC-204, BC-384, BC-384A, BC-394, BC-405 and BC-413.
The index doesn't describe the models or say which lots got which plan. The guide says many Eichler subdivision site plans were designed by Jones & Emmons, but the Mills Estate entry doesn't name a site planner. The published account says some Mills Estates streets have only Eichlers, all Jones & Emmons or Claude Oakland models, and a second published article describes one house there as a Jones & Emmons design. We didn't find a city or archive record that assigns the architects house by house, so check the plans and permits for a specific house.
The hillside in published accounts
According to the published account, "Mills Estates" names the whole hillside, and the Eichler subdivision within it has no separate name. It places the Eichlers on either side of Trousdale Drive, just below Interstate 280, and names Atwater Drive, Capistrano Way, Dolores Way, Frontera Way, Hunt Drive, Mariposa Drive and Mariposa Court, Alcazar Drive and Montecito Way among their streets. Published accounts describe steep streets and views across the Bay and of San Francisco International Airport.
The account calls Mills Estates a mixed hybrid. On several streets, it says, Eichlers stand on one side and traditional ranch houses or two-story Colonials on the other. It also says the neighborhood has no community association. That matches the city guidebook's general description of Burlingame, where the time it took to build out each neighborhood often left a mixture of styles on one block.
Rooflines and details to look for
The published account describes a wide mix of roof forms:
steep double-gabled roofs, low gables and flat roofs;
triple folded-plate roofs over some entries;
masonry facades on some houses;
gables that change slope partway down, which it likens to Japanese flared roofs.
At the time of that account, exteriors were mostly original, though it noted a few out-of-character garage doors, one house with Colonial pilasters and one with an added second story.
Burlingame's guidebook pays attention to the same details. Its roof chapter says example houses may include flat roofs with parapets, pitched roofs or combinations, and that fascia boards, gutters, outriggers, barges, rafters and overhangs "will be reviewed for compatibility." For another hillside Eichler tract on the Peninsula, see our San Mateo Highlands Eichler history.
Burlingame's rules: design review and the hillside permit
As of November 2026, the city's planning pages describe two reviews that can apply to a hillside Eichler project:
Design review. According to Burlingame's residential design review page, all new houses, most second-story additions and some single-story additions need a Planning Commission design review application. Projects are reviewed against the city's design guidebook and the R-1 zoning regulations, which set setbacks, lot coverage, height and floor area ratio. The guidebook warns that low-sloping roofs on single-story ranch houses "may not adequately engage a large second floor addition," and it tells designers to avoid a "layer cake" look.
Hillside Area Construction Permit. The city's review procedure says that in the Hillside Overlay (H) Zone, under Code Section 25.20.040, the permit is required for all new houses, new accessory structures, and additions to any house or accessory structure, including changes in roof elevation. Its stated intent is to let neighbors review construction that could affect "existing distant views from inside structures on nearby properties." Notice and plans go to owners within 100 feet for a 10-day review. If no one calls the project up for a Planning Commission hearing, the permit is approved. It's valid for two years, and a building permit must be issued before it expires.
The published account says views have shaped decisions here before. After a bulky second-story addition went onto one Mills Estates Eichler in the 1980s, it says, a neighbor proposed a similar addition, residents opposed it, and the Planning Commission and City Council turned it down because it would block views and was too tall. The same account says the city has no design regulations aimed specifically at Eichlers. The guidebook we read mentions Eichlers in its history section, not in its design rules.
We didn't check which Mills Estates parcels lie in the Hillside Overlay Zone, so confirm that with the city for a specific address. Our Burlingame mid-century modern homes page covers the city's modern houses today. This is not legal advice. Ask Burlingame's Planning Division which reviews apply before you design a project.
What to check before you buy or remodel
The jurisdiction and zone. Confirm that the parcel is inside Burlingame's city limits and whether it's in the Hillside Overlay Zone.
Eichler or not. Published accounts say these streets mix Eichlers with other houses. Check the permit history and assessor record, and compare the house with Eichler features such as post-and-beam framing and glass walls.
The model number. Original plans with a BC model number tie a house to the Mills Estate models in the archive index.
The roof. Record the original roof form, whether gabled, flat or folded plate, before you plan a reroof, skylights or an addition. In the overlay zone, a change in roof elevation needs the hillside permit.
Views and neighbors. Expect owners within 100 feet to see the plans for any addition under the hillside permit, and plan the massing with their views in mind.
Recorded documents. Ask for the title report and any recorded CC&Rs. The published account says there's no community association, but recorded restrictions can exist without one.
Frequently asked questions
When were the Mills Estates Eichlers built?
The project index for Claude Oakland's firm dates the Mills Estate subdivision to 1963–1964, with Eichler Homes, Inc. as developer. Published accounts say sales opened in November 1963 and that early owners bought new in 1963 and 1964.
Who designed the Mills Estates Eichlers?
The subdivision's records are in the archive of Claude Oakland's firm, which lists the BC models for Mills Estate. Published accounts describe both Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland models on these streets. We didn't find a record that assigns each house to an architect.
Does Burlingame have Eichler design guidelines?
We didn't find any. The city's design guidebook applies citywide and mentions Eichlers in its history section, not in its design rules, and a published account says the city has no Eichler-specific design rules. New houses and most second-story additions still go through design review, and projects in the hillside zone may need a Hillside Area Construction Permit.
Why is it called Mills Estates?
Burlingame's design guidebook lists Mill's Estates among the neighborhoods named for people who owned estates or developed the land into today's neighborhoods. The guidebook spells it "Mill's Estates," while the archive index uses "Mills Estate."
Related reading
Diamond Heights Eichler History: Claude Oakland's Hillside Homes
Eichler Architects: Who Designed Which Homes, Tract by Tract
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
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Want help confirming a Mills Estates house's model, permit history or hillside rules? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
