Bay Area Real Estate & Development Blog | Oakland, Piedmont & Cupertino - September, 2026

Oakland’s Forgotten Rooftop Heliport: Alco Park History

Updated October 1, 2026

Thousands of people have driven past the unusual circular parking garage at 165 13th Street in Downtown Oakland without realizing that its roof was once one of the most unusual transportation hubs in the Bay Area.

It's called Alco Park, and in the 1960s passengers could take an elevator to the top of the garage, board a helicopter and fly across the Bay Area.

Scheduled helicopter service from the rooftop began on March 1, 1965. The operation was so unusual that San Francisco & Oakland Helicopter Airlines president Mike Bagan later described Alco Park in testimony before a U.S. Senate aviation subcommittee as the first scheduled rooftop helicopter passenger service in the world.

Today, Alco Park is once again an Alameda…

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141 Fairlawn Drive Berkeley: The Photographer’s House

Published October 1, 2026

Every once in a while a Berkeley home comes on the market that reminds you why architecture in the East Bay can be so interesting.

141 Fairlawn Drive in the Berkeley Hills is one of those houses.

Built in 1972, the striking glass, steel and redwood residence was designed by architect Andrew Batey for architectural photographer Henry Bowles. More than half a century later, the house still looks remarkably contemporary—and its dramatic two-story wall of glass has helped turn the property into one of the most talked-about homes currently on the market.

The home is currently offered at $1,088,000. It has two bedrooms, three bathrooms and approximately 1,625 square feet of living space on a 4,905-square-foot lot.

A…

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Green Day’s Studio 880 in Oakland Lists for $3.9 Million: Inside the Band’s East Bay Real Estate History

One of Oakland's most unusual pieces of music and real estate history is back on the market. Studio 880, the former Green Day recording complex in Oakland's Jingletown neighborhood, is listed for $3.89 million.

Located at 825-829 27th Avenue, the property includes approximately 15,611 square feet of commercial space on three parcels totaling roughly 0.77 acres. Current marketing describes a secure creative campus with recording and production areas, offices, lounges, kitchens, flexible workspaces and parking for more than 35 vehicles.

For Green Day fans, however, Studio 880 represents an important chapter in the band's long East Bay history. Green Day worked at the Oakland studio during the 2003-2004 sessions for American Idiot, the landmark album…

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Silicon Valley Home Prices & the AI Boom: 2026 MLS Data

Silicon Valley's artificial intelligence boom is creating enormous wealth, but is that money actually showing up in local home prices?

Recent reporting has described a "tale of two markets" across Silicon Valley, with AI-related wealth helping drive demand at the upper end of the Peninsula housing market while other buyers continue to contend with affordability and higher borrowing costs.

Rather than assume that every South Bay home is benefiting equally from the AI economy, I looked at the actual MLS numbers.

I analyzed 205 closed home sales in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara since June 1, 2026, along with the active and pending listings included in a broader dataset of 421 properties. The results show an extremely competitive South Bay…

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Russian Businessman, 458-Foot Towers and 665 Homes: The Fight Over Menlo Park’s Former Sunset Magazine Site

A proposal to replace the historic former Sunset Magazine headquarters in Menlo Park with three massive mixed-use buildings — including one reaching approximately 458 feet — has become one of the Bay Area's most unusual development battles.

The project, known as Willow Park, is proposed for the 6.7-acre property at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park's Linfield Oaks neighborhood. Current plans call for approximately 665 homes, 332,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail, a 130-room hotel and a preschool.

But the size of the development is only part of the story.

The property is owned through an LLC controlled by Russian businessman Vitaly Yusufov, son of former Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov. California Attorney General Rob…

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Cupertino Real Estate in September 2026: A Market Running Out of Homes

The Cupertino housing market enters fall 2026 with the same structural characteristics that have defined it for the past several years: extreme competition, limited supply, and prices that reflect the combined weight of Apple Park and CUSD school access. Bruce Wagg (DRE #01760054, Keller Williams Elevate) has spent 20 years working Cupertino, Piedmont, Oakland, and Berkeley, and the September data confirms those conditions are holding.

Where Prices Stand

The average home value in Cupertino now sits at approximately $3.1 million, up 5.9% from a year ago, with single-family homes trading at a median in the mid-$3 million range. Condos and townhomes remain the most accessible entry point for buyers who want CUSD school access without the full cost of a…

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The Rise Cupertino Modification #4: Blocks 1 & 2 Changes

Updated August 2026: The City of Cupertino approved Modification Application #4 for The Rise on August 24, 2026, making another set of refinements to the massive redevelopment of the former Vallco Mall property.

This latest action is particularly interesting because it focuses on Blocks 1 and 2, two residential components within the first phase of The Rise.

The most important takeaway for future homebuyers is what didn't change: the modification does not change the number of homes planned for either building. Block 1 remains planned for 235 homes and Block 2 for 258 homes.

Instead, Modification #4 primarily addresses building access, parking, loading, waste management, floor-area adjustments and other design refinements as the project moves…

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Rockridge Trader Joe’s Tower Proposal Revised: Shorter Towers and More Retail

A major development proposal for the Trader Joe's property near Rockridge BART has been revised. The formal application for 5727 College Avenue now describes two shorter senior-housing towers, fewer residences and substantially more ground-floor retail than the earlier version of the project.

The revised proposal remains just that: a proposal. It has not been built, no construction schedule has been announced and the inclusion of grocery-store space does not confirm which grocer, if any, would ultimately occupy it. Still, the changes are significant for Rockridge residents, nearby businesses and anyone following development around Oakland's BART stations.

What Is Proposed for 5727 College Avenue?

The application calls for two buildings rising…

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