Palo Alto's small Eichler tracts of the later 1950s are easy to miss. The City's list includes Greendell, Faircourt, Garland Park and Blair Court, plus three tracts it names only by a street: Amarillo Avenue, Louis Road and Middlefield Road. None has more than 48 lots in the City's count, and three have 13 or fewer.
This post covers what official records say about these seven tracts, built from 1955 to 1959: the City's 2018 Eichler design guidelines, its 2015 staff report on single-story overlays, its parcel layer and the county's index of recorded maps. Where the records stop, we say so. For homes across the city, see our Palo Alto mid-century modern page.
What the City's table says
The City's Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines, adopted April 2, 2018, list these tracts in their table of the city's Eichler neighborhoods:
No Name (Blair Court): 1955, 23 lots.
Faircourt: 1956, 33 lots.
Greendell: 1956, 48 lots.
No Name (Amarillo Avenue): 1957, 10 lots.
Garland Park: 1958, Jones & Emmons and Anshen & Allen, 35 lots.
No Name (Louis Road): 1959, 5 lots.
No Name (Middlefield Road): Claude Oakland, 13 lots. The table prints the year as "1059"; the legend on the guidelines' tract map gives 1959.
The architect column is blank for Blair Court, Faircourt, Greendell, Amarillo Avenue and Louis Road. A footnote says the lot counts come from City GIS files and don't necessarily match the number of homes. The table also lists Faircourt No. 3 & No. 4 (1957, 50 lots) as a separate tract from Faircourt.
The guidelines' map labels only major roads, so it doesn't name the streets of Faircourt or Garland Park. For the other five, the tract name or the county's recorded map names at least one street.
Greendell: Tract No. 1611
The county's online index of recorded maps lists "Tract No. 1611 Greendell," part of Lot 11 of the J. J. Morris Real Estate Co.'s subdivision of the M. S. Loucks Tract. It was surveyed in September 1955 and recorded on November 3, 1955, in Book 63 at page 42. The index lists three streets: Dake Avenue, Ferne Avenue and San Antonio Road. It names a title company as owner, not Eichler; the tie to Eichler is the City's table.
By our count, the City's parcel layer in November 2026 shows 48 parcels with a 1956 build year on those streets: 35 on Ferne Avenue, 9 on Dake Avenue and 4 on what the layer calls San Antonio Avenue. That matches the table's 48. All are zoned R-1 (8000), carry a flood label of X and list no historic status. Recorded lot sizes run from about 7,480 to 13,500 square feet.
The streets also hold houses from other years. Some Ferne Avenue and Ferne Court parcels show 1961 or 1962 build years and an R-1 (8000)(S) overlay zoning, and other Ferne and Dake parcels show 1953 or 1954. On the City's map, Greendell sits just east of Greenmeadow, the National Register district. Nearby Greenmeadow parcels carry the historic status "Greenmeadow; Contributing Structure" in the parcel layer; the 48 we counted carry none.
Blair Court and the Garland name
Blair Court is a 1955 tract of 23 lots, next to the 1955 Triple El tract on the City's map. By our count, the parcel layer shows 15 parcels on Blair Court. Fourteen show a 1955 build year and one shows 1963. That's fewer than the table's 23, and the records we read don't say where the others are.
All 15 are zoned plain R-1. Nine carry a flood label of AE10.5, and six carry split labels that combine X and AE10.5. Recorded lot sizes run from about 7,420 to 12,790 square feet.
The name "Garland" causes confusion here. The City's 2015 staff report on single-story overlays lists "Garland (Elsinore Drive) (68 lots), Ordinance 4721." The report doesn't say which tract that is. The county's index also has a 1938 "Garland Tract" (Tract No. 70) with a Garland Drive. We found nothing tying it to the 1958 Eichler tract.
Amarillo Avenue and Garland Park
The City's 10-lot Amarillo Avenue tract dates from 1957. By our count, nine Amarillo Avenue parcels show a 1957 build year, one fewer than the table's 10. All nine are zoned R-1 and labeled AE10.5. Recorded lot sizes run from about 6,090 to 8,110 square feet.
Amarillo Avenue isn't the tract's alone. The county's 1950 map of Greer Park, recorded with Eichler Homes Inc. as owner, lists Amarillo Avenue too, and so do a 1947 map and a 1955 map for other tracts. A house on Amarillo may belong to any of them.
The table credits Garland Park (1958, 35 lots) to Jones & Emmons and Anshen & Allen, the two firms whose work the guidelines' history describes through the 1950s. On the City's map it sits between Blair Court and Greer Park, near the Amarillo Avenue tract. The map doesn't name its streets, and we didn't find a county map for it; the county's index ends around 1957. We aren't going to guess its streets. Start with the City's parcel report for the address.
Faircourt, Louis Road and Middlefield Road
Faircourt (1956, 33 lots). On the City's map, Faircourt sits northeast of the Los Arboles tracts, between Midfair and Royal Manor. The map doesn't name its streets, and Faircourt isn't on the 2015 overlay list. Don't confuse it with Faircourt No. 3 & No. 4, a separate 50-lot tract from 1957.
Louis Road (1959, 5 lots). Louis Road is long. By our count, the City's parcel layer shows 10 parcels on Louis Road with a 1959 build year, against the table's five lots, and no record we read says which of them, if any, are the tract's. Start with the City's parcel report for the address.
Middlefield Road (1959, 13 lots). On the City's map, this tract adjoins Los Arboles. Middlefield Road is long too, and no record we read lists the tract's 13 lots, so we don't count them. Start with the City's parcel report for the address.
The Claude Oakland credit raises a question. The guidelines' history says Oakland joined Anshen and Allen in 1950, "oversaw many of the firm's designs for Eichler Homes during the next ten years," and formed his own firm in 1960. The table doesn't say whether the 1959 credit means Oakland at Anshen and Allen or his own office, and we don't pick one.
Rules on these lots today
None of the parcels we counted is in a single-story overlay; all are zoned R-1 or R-1 (8000). The parcel layer gives the Greendell, Blair Court and Amarillo Avenue parcels a height limit of 30 feet when the roof slope is under 12:12 and 33 feet otherwise. That's unlike Meadow Park, a 1957–58 tract that the 2015 report lists as an overlay of 76 lots. Our guide to Palo Alto's Eichler design guidelines explains when the guidelines and the City's two-story review apply.
Flood labels differ from tract to tract. The Blair Court and Amarillo Avenue parcels we counted carry AE10.5 labels, in whole or in part; the Greendell parcels carry X, and the Louis Road parcels are mixed. The guidelines list AE zones among the city's special flood hazard areas, where flood water is "ponded," with "a somewhat level surface like a lake," and say the city's largest AE zone, an area predicted to flood when extraordinary bay tides overtop the Baylands levees, "covers a large area generally from Middlefield Road to the bay." In a special flood hazard area, they say:
Municipal Code section 16.52 applies to new construction and "substantial improvement," and to any improvement to a structure built or substantially improved since February 15, 1980.
The lowest floor must be elevated above the flood level, which "effectively prohibits basements."
Height limits and the daylight plane may then rule out a second floor.
Flood zones change, so request a current parcel report. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm the rules with the City of Palo Alto and ask an insurance professional about flood coverage.
Checking a house in these tracts
Parcel report. It shows the zoning, flood label, height limit and historic status for the address.
Recorded map. For Greendell, that's Tract No. 1611 in Book 63. For the others, ask the county recorder's office which map the lot sits on.
Permits. Request the City's permit history; our guide to checking permit history explains how.
CC&Rs. The guidelines say Eichler Homes wrote CC&Rs for its tracts. The City doesn't enforce them, though residents may.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these tracts have a named architect?
Two of the seven, in the City's 2018 table: Garland Park (Jones & Emmons and Anshen & Allen) and the Middlefield Road tract (Claude Oakland). The other five rows are blank.
Does any of these tracts have a single-story overlay?
None of the Greendell, Blair Court, Amarillo Avenue or Louis Road parcels we counted is zoned for one. The 2015 report lists a 68-lot overlay called "Garland (Elsinore Drive)" but doesn't say which tract it covers. For Faircourt, Garland Park and the Middlefield Road tract, check the parcel report.
Is Faircourt the same as Faircourt No. 3 & No. 4?
No. The City's table lists Faircourt (1956, 33 lots) and Faircourt No. 3 & No. 4 (1957, 50 lots) as separate tracts, and its map shows them in different places.
Related reading
Palo Alto Eichler Neighborhoods: A Guide to Every Tract We Cover
Royal Manor Eichler History: Reading Palo Alto's 1957–58 Tract
Single-Story Overlay Districts: Check Your Street, Know the Rules
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
Want email updates on Eichler homes? Sign up for Eichler Alerts.
Thinking about buying or selling in one of Palo Alto's small Eichler tracts? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
