A Channing Park Eichler on De Soto Drive, Palo Alto

Modern house illuminated from within at dusk with colorful sky, a large tree in front, and a landscaped yard with plants and rocks.

This page uses one house on De Soto Drive in Palo Alto as an example of a Channing Park Eichler, and it describes the house only through public records. We leave out the street number on purpose. It's a records-based guide, not a listing or a market report.

The tract

Palo Alto's 2018 Eichler design guidelines list Channing Park No. 1 & No. 2 among the city's Eichler tracts, built in 1951–1952, with 57 lots. Santa Clara County's index of recorded maps has Tract No. 909, Channing Park Unit No. 2, recorded on February 25, 1952, and De Soto Drive is among the streets it lists. Neither of the two early Channing Park maps names Eichler as owner. It's the city's table that ties the Channing Park name to Eichler, and a 2000 zoning ordinance names both tract numbers. Our Channing Park history covers the tracts in detail.

On the city's parcel map, De Soto Drive has 43 parcels inside the Channing Park single-story overlay, and 36 of them show a 1952 build year. The street's addresses are in ZIP code 94303.

This house in the records

The city's parcel record for the house shows:

  • a 1952 build year, the same year as 36 of the street's 43 overlay parcels;

  • R-1 (S) zoning, the single-story overlay;

  • a 17-foot height limit and a historic status of "none";

  • an AH flood zone label.

No record we found names the builder or architect of this one house. Its permit history is the place to check what's original.

Modern living room with large glass windows, wooden walls, two white curved armchairs, a white coffee table with decorative items, a colorful abstract painting, and an outdoor patio visible through the windows.

The architects

The city's table credits Channing Park No. 1 & No. 2 to Anshen & Allen with A. Quincy Jones. The National Register study of Eichler's San Jose tracts says Eichler brought A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons on board in 1952, but Channing Park Unit 1 was recorded in August 1951, so the records don't agree on when Jones began working for Eichler. We found no record of which houses each firm designed. See our Anshen & Allen and Jones & Emmons pages.

Modern living room with white and beige furniture, a fireplace, large glass sliding doors, and a green potted plant.

The rules that apply

Single-story overlay. Ordinance 4657, passed on September 18, 2000, rezoned Channing Park Tracts 883 and 909 from R-1 to R-1(S). As posted in November 2026, Municipal Code section 18.12.100 caps overlay homes at 17 feet and one habitable floor, and lofts and mezzanines count as floors. Our single-story overlay guide explains how overlays are added and removed.

Flood zone. FEMA counts AH among its special flood hazard areas, the land that a flood with a 1-percent chance in any year is expected to cover. As the city's 2018 guidelines summarize Municipal Code section 16.52, the flood rules apply to new construction and substantial improvement there, and the lowest floor must be raised above the flood level. Under section 18.12.100, when a house in a special flood hazard area must be raised to reach the base flood elevation, the 17-foot cap rises by half of that increase, up to 20 feet.

Design guidelines. The city adopted its Eichler design guidelines in 2018. Our guide to Palo Alto's Eichler design guidelines explains how they work.

Historic status. Every parcel in the overlay lists a historic status of "none," and the state's list of listed historic resources in Santa Clara County has no Channing Park entry.

This is general information, not legal advice. Before you buy, remodel or rebuild, confirm the current zoning, flood zone and rules with the City of Palo Alto, and ask an insurance professional about flood coverage.

Researching a Channing Park house

  • Parcel report. Zoning and flood labels vary from lot to lot, so start with the city's parcel report for the address.

  • Recorded map. The county's index lists Tract No. 909 in Book 36, page 10.

  • Permit history. Our guide to checking permit history on a mid-century home covers what to ask the city for.

  • Inspections. Heating pipes cast into the slab, low-slope roofs and single-pane glass each need their own checks. See our mid-century home inspection checklist.

For the city as a whole, see our Palo Alto page and our 94303 ZIP code page.

The Boyenga Team at Compass, Eric and Janelle Boyenga, has worked in Silicon Valley real estate since 1996, with 2,520+ homes sold and $2.6+ billion in sales. Researching a Palo Alto Eichler? Call or text (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team.