The Rancho Verde Eichler tract in Sunnyvale was built in 1960 and 1961 by Eichler Homes, Inc., according to the project index of Claude Oakland's firm at UC Berkeley, which files it as Tract 2653 and also calls it Fairbrae. Sunnyvale's parcel layer lists 131 lots in Tract 2653, every one flagged as an Eichler, on a run of drives, avenues and courts between Mary Avenue and Pome Avenue.
This post covers the archive record, how the name lines up with the tract number, what the city's data shows about the houses today, and the single-story zoning the city's parcel layer shows on most of its lots. It is architecture and history, not a market report. For the city's other Eichler areas, see our Sunnyvale mid-century modern page and the Sunnyvale Eichler neighborhoods guide.
What the archive records
The Oakland & Imada Collection at UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives documents Claude Oakland's firm and its predecessor, Claude Oakland & Associates. Its finding aid says Eichler project records make up the bulk of it.
The collection's project index has one subdivision row for the tract. It reads "Rancho Verde (aka Fairbrae)," with the development given as "No. 1 & 2 Tract 2653." The row is dated 1960–1961, filed as a residential subdivision, and names Eichler Homes, Inc. as developer. The drawings sit in box 14, folder 208, with a further entry marked FF 253, and the photographs in box 12, folder 134. The row names no architect, so we don't assign one.
Those dates line up with a change the finding aid records. Oakland joined Anshen & Allen in 1950 and soon became principal designer for Eichler Homes. In 1960 he left to start Claude Oakland & Associates and took over the Eichler account. The finding aid dates Eichler Homes, Inc. to 1950–1968 and J.L. Eichler Associates to 1966–1972, so Rancho Verde belongs to the original company's years.
Six model codes
The index lists six house models for Rancho Verde: SV-4, SV-4A, SV-4B, SV-4DR, SV-4E and M-254. The finding aid says Eichler models are named with a subdivision location code plus a model number, and gives MC-184, Marin County model 184, as its example. The index's model-location sheet assigns SV to four Sunnyvale subdivisions (Fairpark, Fairwood, Rancho Sans Souci and Rancho Verde) and M to two (Midtown and Rancho Verde). It doesn't explain the letters after the numbers, so we won't guess at them.
One number, five versions. Five of the six codes start with SV-4 and differ only in the letters that follow.
A plan that traveled. SV-4 also appears in the 1968 and 1972 Rancho Sans Souci row, built by J.L. Eichler Associates, and in a general "SV models" row dated 1960–1963 and 1968–1972.
A single-lot entry. A separate 1961 row for "Lot 367 Ranco Verde" (spelled that way) lists model SV-4, with Eichler Homes, Inc. as developer.
The index points to the folders, but it doesn't say which lot got which model.
Matching the name to the tract
Rancho Verde's archive row gives a tract number, and Sunnyvale's parcel layer carries one for each lot. In the layer, Tract 2653's lot numbers run from 351 to 483, a range that takes in the "Lot 367" of the single-lot entry. All 131 lots carry the Eichler flag. The layer records 96 as built in 1960 and 33 in 1961, and two carry later build years, 1992 and 2006.
The lots sit in the city's De Anza planning area and ZIP code 94087, on twelve streets: Ticonderoga Drive (27 lots), Trenton Drive (19), Mary Avenue (16), Pimento Avenue (16), Somerset Drive (10), McIntosh Avenue (8), Plum Avenue (8), Revere Drive (7), McIntosh Court (6), Shenandoah Drive (6), Navlet Court (5) and Nelis Court (3). Plotted by lot center, the tract lies between Mary Avenue and Pome Avenue.
The archive's "aka Fairbrae" needs care. Sunnyvale's own reports use "Fairbrae Unit 1" for a different tract, one with homes on Pome, Quince and Hollenbeck Avenues, Pomegranate and Pulora Courts and Sheraton Drive. Our Fairbrae history covers those tracts. The archive applies the Fairbrae name to Tract 2653 as well, so the two names overlap in the records, and we use Rancho Verde, the name the archive lists first.
A possible addition
The index has two later house entries tied to the name. One, dated 1967–1968, is filed under "Rancho Verde Addition, Sherwood Ct." The other, a 1981 addition on Susquehanna Court, is cross-referenced to Rancho Verde. In the parcel layer, Sherwood Court and Susquehanna Court belong to Tract 2823, 40 lots with a 1962 build year on Maraschino Drive, Susquehanna Court, Sherwood Court and parts of Mary Avenue and Ticonderoga Drive, with 38 of them flagged as Eichlers. No record we read gives Tract 2823 a name. It may be the Rancho Verde Addition, but that isn't proven.
The houses in the city's parcel data today
For the 131 lots in Tract 2653, the parcel layer records:
Stories. 130 one-story houses and one two-story house.
Bedrooms. 117 have four bedrooms, 6 have five, 3 have six, 3 have three and 2 have seven.
Baths. 119 are recorded with two baths. The rest range from one and a half to four.
Size. The median recorded building size is about 1,750 square feet, ranging from about 1,480 to about 3,240.
Lots. The median lot is about 8,060 square feet, ranging from about 5,920 to about 11,660.
Zoning. All 131 are zoned R1, 112 carry the "S" single-story combining district, none has an entry in the layer's heritage field, and all sit in flood zone X.
Tract 2823 reads a little differently: its 38 Eichler-flagged lots have a median recorded size of about 1,900 square feet and a median lot of about 7,840 square feet, two of its 40 lots hold two-story houses, and none carries the "S".
These are today's recorded figures, additions included, so they describe the houses as they stand now, not the 1960 plans.
How the single-story districts came about
Sunnyvale's single-story combining district took effect on January 1, 2001. A 2017 Planning Commission report lists what an application needs: R-0, R-1 or R-2 zoning underneath, signatures from at least 55 percent of the owners, at least 20 homes, at least 75 percent of them one story, and a boundary that follows a street, stream or tract line where feasible.
The city's list of single-story districts, updated August 15, 2017, records two whose descriptions name streets in the tract:
May 15, 2007: "116 Eichler homes located between Fremont Avenue and Ticonderoga Drive and between Pome Avenue and Mary Avenue."
July 11, 2017: 49 lots on the north side of Ticonderoga Drive between Pome and Mary Avenues, on both sides of Somerset Drive between Pimento Avenue and Revere Avenue, and on adjacent parts of Pimento Avenue, Shenandoah Drive and Revere Drive.
The 2017 staff report gives the details of the second. It describes "a cohesive residential neighborhood block consisting of 49 single story homes," with R-1/S homes already across Ticonderoga to the south. The application started with 29 properties, grew to 49 after a February 23, 2017 neighborhood meeting, and was signed by 38 owners, or 77 percent. Staff wrote that the applicant drew the border "mainly where the Eichler neighborhood ends and abuts ranch style homes." The Planning Commission approved it on June 12, 2017, the City Council approved it on July 11, and the Council adopted Ordinance No. 3120-17 on July 25.
The report sets out what a district means: one habitable floor, with no lofts or mezzanines, for every structure on the lot; a maximum height of 17 feet, down from 30; and a 45 percent floor area ratio. A district stays in place unless owners apply to remove it.
Today the parcel layer shows the "S" on 112 of Tract 2653's 131 lots. The 19 without it are on Mary Avenue (7), Revere Drive (6), Plum Avenue (5) and Pimento Avenue (1).
The design rules that apply
The 2017 report calls the area "an Eichler neighborhood" subject to the Sunnyvale Eichler Design Guidelines, adopted by the City Council in 2009. It says the guidelines are used in support of the zoning code and that residential design review decisions in Eichler neighborhoods must be compatible with them. Our guide to Sunnyvale's Eichler guidelines walks through what they cover.
The rules around them changed in 2026. On July 21, 2026, the City Council adopted Lower Density Residential Objective Design Standards, and on July 28 it adopted Ordinance No. 3258-26, which repeals and replaces the city's design review chapter. The April 2026 Planning Commission report on that work says its scope did not include changes to the Eichler Design Guidelines. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific lot with Sunnyvale's planning division before you design anything.
What to check on a Rancho Verde house
The tract. Confirm the tract number and build year on the county record.
The model. Ask the Environmental Design Archives for the Rancho Verde files and compare the plans with the house.
The zoning. Check whether the lot carries the "S" district.
The record. Compare the recorded bedrooms and square footage with the plan, and pull the permit history before you plan changes.
Design review. Talk to the planning division early about any change to the front of the house.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Rancho Verde?
Eichler Homes, Inc., according to the UC Berkeley archive of Claude Oakland's firm, which holds the tract's drawings. The row names no architect.
When was Rancho Verde built?
The archive dates the subdivision to 1960–1961. Sunnyvale's parcel layer agrees, recording 96 of Tract 2653's lots as built in 1960 and 33 in 1961.
Is Rancho Verde the same as Fairbrae?
The archive lists it as "Rancho Verde (aka Fairbrae)," but Sunnyvale's reports use the Fairbrae name for other tracts, including Fairbrae Unit 1. The two names overlap in the records, so give the tract number when you need to be exact.
Can you add a second story in Rancho Verde?
On most lots, no. The parcel layer shows 112 of the 131 lots in Tract 2653 inside a single-story combining district, which, as the 2017 staff report describes it, limits homes to one habitable floor and 17 feet. Ask Sunnyvale's planning division what your lot allows.
Related reading
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
Want email updates on Eichler homes? Sign up for Eichler Alerts.
Curious about a Rancho Verde Eichler's model or plans? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
