Walnut Glen Estates: Custom-Look Luxury Homes on Big Flat Lots

Walnut Glen Estates is one of central Pleasanton's quietly desirable luxury pockets — a small neighborhood of large, architecturally varied homes on generous flat lots, built to feel custom even though it's a single development. The name nods to the area's past: this part of Pleasanton was once covered in walnut orchards before it became one of the city's prestigious estate areas. (And a quick name note: it's its own neighborhood, not to be confused with Walnut Hills elsewhere in town.) Here's the full picture.

Where it sits

Walnut Glen Estates sits in central-east Pleasanton, off Stoneridge Drive east of Santa Rita Road. It's a genuinely convenient location: walking distance to award-winning Mohr Elementary, close to both Amaral and Nielsen parks, and well-positioned for I-580 and I-680, BART, shopping, and downtown. For a neighborhood of this size and caliber, that combination of top-school proximity and easy access is a big part of why it stays in demand.

The homes

Walnut Glen Estates was built by New Cities Development in 1996 and 1997 — a community of roughly 73 homes. What sets it apart is the variety: the builder deliberately varied the elevations and styles — Country French, Traditional, and Mediterranean — so the streetscape reads like a custom-home neighborhood rather than a repeating tract. Homes range from about 2,800 to 4,800 square feet, with three-, four-, and five-bedroom floor plans. The smallest is a single-story, four-bedroom model; the larger two-story plans include options like a bonus room over the garage. They sit on large, flat lots generally running from about a third to a half acre — unusually generous for a 1990s Pleasanton subdivision, and a real draw for buyers who want room inside and out.

The HOA

Here's a detail buyers appreciate: Walnut Glen Estates generally has no homeowners' association — homes here have sold without HOA dues, which gives owners more flexibility over their property and no monthly association bill. Because HOA status and any special assessments are always worth confirming per property, I verify that directly from the MLS and the disclosures before you write an offer, rather than rely on a published summary.

Schools

Walnut Glen Estates falls within the Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD), and its walkable proximity to Mohr Elementary is one of its draws. Homes here have generally been associated with Mohr Elementary and Amador Valley High School, with the middle-school assignment worth confirming (this part of east Pleasanton has been served by both Harvest Park and Hart). Assignments can come down to the specific parcel and can shift over time, so I always confirm the designated schools by address with PUSD before a buyer commits.

Thinking about Walnut Glen Estates?

Because it's a small neighborhood of larger luxury homes on big lots — and one of the few in this area without an HOA — Walnut Glen Estates tends to be in steady demand, and the right home doesn't come up often. It helps to know which floor plans and elevations are which, which lots are the most usable, whether a single-story plan is available, and what recent sales have actually told us about value here.

Whether Walnut Glen Estates is exactly what you're after or you're comparing it against the other estate-scale neighborhoods in central-east Pleasanton, I'd be glad to help you understand what's moving and what it's selling for. Knowing the floor-plan differences, the lot variations, and how this neighborhood compares to its neighbors makes a real difference. That kind of street-level detail is where I can genuinely help.

— Rebecca Rook, Living Tri-Valley | Compass