palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Triple El, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
A 68-home Eichler tract from 1955 on three streets, Elsinore Drive, Elsinore Court and El Cajon Way, zoned single-story by the city.
Triple El by the numbers
triple el by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Triple El: the 68-lot single-story Eichler tract (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in triple el · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Triple El
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Triple El from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Loading listings…
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 (Triple El: the 68-lot single-story Eichler tract (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Triple El came to be
Triple El takes its name from its three streets: Elsinore Drive, Elsinore Court and El Cajon Way. Palo Alto Neighborhoods, the citywide umbrella group, puts it plainly on its map: Triple El is only those three streets. Local neighborhood profiles count 68 homes, and the city's parcel records agree, with 68 lots in the tract.
The houses went up in 1955. That is the year built on 66 of the 68 parcels in the city's records. Local neighborhood profiles describe the houses as Eichlers. A 2009 profile reported 44 Chinese elms lining Elsinore Drive; they were planted when the houses were built.
What makes Triple El unusual today is its zoning. Every lot is zoned R-1(S), Palo Alto's single-story overlay. A 2015 city list, as reported in local news, names Triple El among the eight overlays the city approved between Walnut Grove's in 1992 and Allen Court's in 2004, and a 2006 profile already described the tract as protected by a city ordinance. The 2011 profile says owners collected a 70 percent supermajority to get it. In 2015 owners east of Greer Road discussed a "Triple El extension", but the city's current parcel zoning data still shows the overlay only on the original tract.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Elsinore Drive is the spine. It leaves Louis Road, curves north and ends at Greer Road, and it is the only way in. El Cajon Way makes a loop off the middle of Elsinore Drive, and Elsinore Court is a short cul-de-sac off its northern stretch near Greer Road. City records list 33 lots on Elsinore Drive, 29 on El Cajon Way, 4 on Elsinore Court and 2 on Greer Road.
These are classic mid-1950s Eichlers: one story, post-and-beam, low roofs, glass walls to the back yard, on lots that mostly run 6,200 to 6,800 square feet, with a few larger corner and cul-de-sac lots up to about 10,000. Only two houses have been rebuilt from scratch since 1955 (1993 and 2017), so the street still reads as one tract.
Because of the R-1(S) zoning, growth here goes out, not up. The overlay caps houses at 17 feet to the roof peak and one habitable floor; a loft with more than five feet of headroom counts as a floor. In a FEMA special flood hazard area the cap can rise, up to 20 feet, to help a house reach base flood elevation. So remodels here are ground-floor projects: additions into the side or back yard, or reworking the existing plan. The city's Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines, adopted in 2018, are voluntary but a useful checklist for any of them.
streets in triple el
- Elsinore Drive
- Elsinore Court
- El Cajon Way
- Greer Road
- Louis Road
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Triple El
- park
Greer Park
About half a mile southeast, across Oregon Expressway at 1098 Amarillo Avenue in Midtown.
- park
Rinconada Park
About 0.7 mile west at 777 Embarcadero Road: 19 acres with the city's swimming pool, tennis courts, playgrounds, and the Lucie Stern Community Center and Junior Museum and Zoo on its north side.
- shopping
Edgewood Plaza
The shopping center Eichler's company built at Embarcadero and West Bayshore roads, about 0.4 mile north. Under its redevelopment zoning, the developer had to provide a grocery store.
- shopping
Midtown Shopping Center
The Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue shops, about 0.7 mile south. The first store opened in 1956.
- landmark
Rinconada Library and Palo Alto Art Center
On Newell Road at Embarcadero, about 0.7 mile west. The library opened in 1958, designed by Edward Durell Stone, and reopened after an expansion in 2015.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Triple El is served by the Palo Alto Unified School District. No public school sits on the tract's three streets. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with PAUSD's school locator before you rely on any assignment.
Getting around
- California Avenue Caltrain station is about 1.2 miles southwest in a straight line; Palo Alto (University Avenue) station is about 2 miles west.
- US 101 is about half a mile away at the Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero Road interchanges. Oregon Expressway, a block south, runs southwest across town to Alma Street and El Camino Real.
- VTA Route 21 runs on Middlefield Road, about half a mile west, with a timepoint at Middlefield and Embarcadero.
- Elsinore Drive connects only to Louis Road and Greer Road, so bike trips start on one of those; the Bryant Street bike boulevard is about a mile west.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Triple El: what we check
Buying here
- Confirm the R-1(S) single-story overlay on the parcel: one habitable floor and a 17-foot height limit (up to 20 feet in a flood hazard area). Plan any extra space as a ground-floor addition and check lot coverage and setbacks first.
- City parcel records show about half the lots (33 of 68) fully or partly in FEMA flood zone AE with a base flood elevation of 10.5 feet. Ask for the flood zone determination, an elevation certificate if there is one, and an insurance quote; lenders may require flood insurance.
- Eichler basics: radiant heat in the slab (ask whether it is original, abandoned or replaced), flat or low-slope roofs and their insulation, single-pane glass, and older electrical panels. Get a radiant-heat or plumbing scan as part of inspections.
- Read the deed and title report for the original tract covenants. A local news report said they limited houses to one story even before the city overlay; the city does not enforce private covenants.
- If you are thinking about an ADU, check Palo Alto's ADU rules and SB 9 against the single-story overlay and flood rules for that specific lot before you count on it.
Selling here
- Lead with the tract story: 68 Eichlers from 1955, three streets, and a single-story overlay that keeps every neighbor one story.
- Pull permit history for additions, atrium enclosures and roof or radiant-heat work so buyers can see what was permitted.
- Have the flood zone, any elevation certificate and current flood insurance cost ready; about half the tract is mapped in zone AE.
- Pre-listing inspections that cover the radiant system, roof and electrical panel answer the questions Eichler buyers ask first.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Triple El questions, answered
Which streets are in Triple El?
Elsinore Drive, Elsinore Court and El Cajon Way, plus two lots facing Greer Road at Elsinore Drive. The tract sits between North California Avenue and Oregon Expressway, from Louis Road to Greer Road.
How many homes are in Triple El?
68. A local neighborhood profile gives that number and the city's parcel records match it.
Can a Triple El house add a second story?
No. The whole tract is zoned R-1(S), Palo Alto's single-story overlay: one habitable floor and a 17-foot height limit, rising toward 20 feet only where a house must be raised for flood elevation. The overlay does not prohibit demolition; a replacement house must also be single-story.
When was Triple El built?
In 1955. City parcel records list 1955 for 66 of the 68 houses.
Is Triple El in a flood zone?
Partly. City parcel records show 33 of the 68 lots fully or partly in FEMA zone AE (base flood elevation 10.5 feet); the rest are zone X. Check the current FEMA map for the specific address.
Which schools serve Triple El?
The Palo Alto Unified School District. Check the exact address with PAUSD's school locator, since boundaries change.
next door
More Palo Alto neighborhood guides
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Triple El? 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.
Questions about Triple El? Send us a note.
