sunnyvale neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Fairwood Eichler tract, Sunnyvale Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
A 1961-62 Joseph Eichler tract on Dartshire, Devonshire and Duncardine ways just west of South Wolfe Road, next to Panama Park, with several of its blocks now zoned single-story.
Fairwood by the numbers
fairwood by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Fairwood Eichler tract (Dartshire to Duncardine, Firebird to Kingfisher) and the Fairwood Addition (Chukar and Chickadee courts). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in fairwood · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Fairwood
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in the Fairwood Eichler tract from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Fairwood Eichler tract (Dartshire to Duncardine, Firebird to Kingfisher) and the Fairwood Addition (Chukar and Chickadee courts)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Fairwood came to be
Fairwood is one of Joseph Eichler's Sunnyvale tracts, built as the 1960s began. The Oakland & Imada Collection at UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives holds its plot plans: "Fairwood, unit 1B, Tract 2944," credited to Jones & Emmons and dated 1961, and "Fairwood, unit 2," credited to Claude Oakland and dated 1962. So the usual shorthand that Jones & Emmons designed Fairwood is half right: Claude Oakland's name is on the unit 2 plan.
A smaller Fairwood Addition followed on Chukar Court and Chickadee Court, off Dunholme Way about half a mile west, near Ortega Park; its plot plans, also credited to Claude Oakland, carry dates of 1961 and 1970. In 2016 an Eichler publication put Fairwood and the Addition together at roughly 150 to 200 Eichler homes.
Fairwood also holds several of Sunnyvale's single-story zoning districts. In April 2016 the City Council gave final approval to a single-story combining district on Dartshire and Devonshire ways between Flicker and Kingfisher ways, which planners described as 35 single-story homes and one two-story home. In April 2017 the Council approved another for 29 homes on Firebird and Flamingo ways near Dunholme Way, after the Planning Commission had narrowly recommended against it. Today the City's zoning map also shows single-story districts on Kingfisher Way, Coventry Court, Cornwall Court and Mallard Way just north of Dartshire. Duncardine Way and the south side of Devonshire Way are not in one.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The core tract is a tidy rectangle: Dartshire Way on the north, Duncardine Way on the south, Kingfisher Way on the east and Firebird Way on the west, with Devonshire Way down the middle and Flicker Way crossing it north-south; Flamingo Way continues south from the Firebird corner toward Dunholme Way. Panama Park sits on the north side of Dartshire Way, and South Wolfe Road is a few blocks east.
These are single-story Eichlers. As in most Eichlers, radiant heat runs through tubing in the concrete slab, and entries come through an atrium or a private courtyard. Two recent listings show the range: a 1961 four-bedroom Eichler of about 1,640 square feet on Dartshire Way and a 1961 three-bedroom of about 1,350 square feet on Duncardine Way with a courtyard entry, both on 6,696-square-foot lots.
The City adopted Eichler Design Guidelines in July 2009 for additions and new construction in Eichler neighborhoods. Inside the single-story districts you can still add on at ground level within the City's zoning rules, but not up; the 2016 Dartshire-Devonshire proposal cited a 17-foot height limit versus 30 feet under standard zoning. On blocks without the overlay, the guidelines still shape how a second story would have to look.
streets in fairwood
- Dartshire Way
- Devonshire Way
- Duncardine Way
- Kingfisher Way
- Firebird Way
- Flamingo Way
- Flicker Way
- Dartshire Court
- Coventry Court
- Cornwall Court
- Mallard Way
- Chukar Court
- Chickadee Court
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Fairwood
- park
Panama Park
755 Dartshire Way, across the street from the core tract: 5 acres with reservable multi-use fields and a ballfield, first-come picnic tables, barbecues and restrooms.
- park
Ortega Park
About 0.4 mile southwest at 636 Harrow Way: 18.16 acres with tennis and basketball courts, shuffleboard, horseshoe pits and a reservable gazebo.
- shopping
Cupertino Village
The shopping center at Wolfe and Homestead roads in Cupertino is about 0.75 mile south (straight line).
- landmark
Apple Park
About a mile southeast of the tract, across Homestead Road (straight line).
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Fairwood is in the Cupertino Union School District for kindergarten through eighth grade and the Fremont Union High School District for high school, according to U.S. Census school-district maps and the district fields on recent MLS listings on Dartshire and Duncardine ways. The closest Cupertino Union campus is Stocklmeir Elementary at 592 Dunholme Way, about half a mile west. East of Wolfe Road the district changes to Santa Clara Unified. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
Sunnyvale School District guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Wolfe Road, a few blocks east, reaches El Camino Real in about half a mile and I-280 in about a mile (approximate).
- VTA Rapid 522 stops on El Camino Real at Wolfe Road.
- Caltrain: Lawrence station is about 2.1 miles and downtown Sunnyvale station about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
- Biking: the City's Active Transportation Plan map shows Dunholme Way, Carlisle Way and a Flicker Way to Heron Avenue route as bike boulevards, with more proposed on Dartshire Way, Flamingo Way and Mallard Way and a proposed trail along the Sunnyvale East Channel.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Fairwood: what we check
Buying here
- Check the zoning map first: Dartshire Way, the north side of Devonshire Way, the Firebird and Flamingo blocks and several blocks north of Dartshire are in single-story (S) combining districts, which rule out second stories.
- Radiant heat: ask whether the slab tubing is copper or steel and get a pressure test. An Eichler publication notes copper leaks are usually repairable, while corroded steel systems often need replacing, and most slab leaks never show on the floor.
- Have a roofer who knows low-slope Eichler roofs look at age, insulation and drainage.
- Compare permit history with what you see: enclosed atriums, garage conversions and added rooms are common in 60-year-old Eichlers.
- Pre-1978 homes come with a federal lead-paint disclosure and a 10-day testing window unless you waive it.
- If you are also looking across Wolfe Road, note the school district changes there.
Selling here
- Have the radiant system's history ready (pressure-test results, repairs) along with roof age; Eichler buyers ask first.
- Disclose the single-story zoning plainly. Some buyers are shopping for it; others need to know before they plan.
- Photograph and list the original Eichler details that survive; they are part of what you are selling.
- Price against Eichler sales in Fairwood and nearby tracts rather than against ranch homes on the next block.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Fairwood questions, answered
Where exactly is the Fairwood Eichler tract?
Just west of South Wolfe Road in south Sunnyvale, on Dartshire, Devonshire and Duncardine ways between Firebird and Kingfisher ways, next to Panama Park, plus Eichler blocks just north of Dartshire. The Fairwood Addition is on Chukar and Chickadee courts about half a mile west.
Who designed Fairwood?
Plot plans at UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives credit Jones & Emmons for unit 1B (1961) and Claude Oakland for unit 2 (1962) and the Fairwood Addition. Joseph Eichler's company built it.
How many homes are in Fairwood?
An Eichler publication estimated roughly 150 to 200 Eichlers in Fairwood and the Fairwood Addition combined in 2016. Marketing sites give higher counts, which we could not confirm.
Is a second story allowed in Fairwood?
On many blocks, no. Dartshire Way, the north side of Devonshire Way, the Firebird and Flamingo blocks and several blocks north of Dartshire are in single-story combining districts; Duncardine Way is not. Check the City's zoning map for the exact parcel.
Is this the same as Fairwood Park or Fairwood Elementary?
No. Fairwood Park (1225 Sandia Avenue) and Fairwood Elementary (1110 Fairwood Avenue) are in north Sunnyvale, ZIP 94089. The Fairwood Eichler tract is in south Sunnyvale near Panama Park.
Is Fairwood part of Birdland?
No. Fairwood is west of Wolfe Road in the Panama Park area; Birdland is east of Wolfe around Raynor Park. Fairwood does have bird streets (Kingfisher, Firebird, Flamingo, Flicker), which is where the mix-up starts.
next door
More Sunnyvale neighborhood guides
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Thinking about Fairwood? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.