Grand Stand in Googletown - Page 5

The neighborhood organized to fight—and won, reaching agreement with the project's developer in 2006. The houses, which were built, were shifted on the site, and no windows were permitted to stare down into the Eichlers.

That battle led to other positive results, including the creation of the neighborhood email tree. And Grandmeadow residents decided to seek a single-story zoning overlay to prevent any second-story additions among the Eichlers.

That cost money for fees, $200 per household, C.W. Hobbs recalls. Pretty much every owner, save one, contributed. The zoning change was granted in 2011.

But is blocking second stories enough for a neighborhood that is celebrating its 50th anniversary—which makes it eligible for historic status? Not for Laura or Marc or Joyce and some other neighbors, who are considering making their neighborhood a historical district, possibly at the local level.

That could provide protection against demolitions and inappropriate exterior changes. Laura says she is worried about "the fact that somebody could buy a house and put up a Spanish Mediterranean." Marc adds, "Somebody could buy the house and tear it down."

Asked about the possibility of creating an Eichler historic district, city attorney Soroush Aboutalebi says the city's historic ordinance is out of date and needs to be revised.

"The city is likely to rethink this as we move forward. Incorporating the Eichler area may be something that happens," he says. "Maybe the community will come forward and say it wants it."

To some neighbors, protecting the historic look is about more than architecture. It is about preserving the neighborly feeling. If the neighborhood were to lose its looks, Frank Zong says, it would lose a lot of the glue that holds people together.

"Because everyone here has something in common, even though we're all different," Frank says. "What's in common is that we all enjoy Eichler houses.

• The 53 Eichlers of Grandmeadow (or Bell Meadow) can be found on Miramonte Avenue, Trophy Drive, Eichler Drive, and Eichler Court.

Photography: Rory Earnshaw, Mariko Reed, Dream Home Images, Dave Weinstein, John Marino, Leigh Klotz; and courtesy Atria Real Estate, Klopf Architecture