Greenbrook

The gorgeous view from my backyard - so many Greenbrook homes enjoy this type of view!

“My favorite Saturday morning ritual is to wake up before the kids, pour myself a cup of coffee and venture out to our back deck overlooking San Ramon Creek and relax for 15 minutes of peace and quiet before the kids bound downstairs to start our day. As the trees gently rustle in the breeze, I hear the soft “ping . . . ping . . . ping” of a metal bat hitting the ball in the batting cages at Osage Park, which is right across the creek from our home.

Looking up above the trees at the creek, I take in the beautiful Las Trampas Ridge, just a short hop across the freeway, but home to endless miles of wonderful hiking trails. Behind me, the sun is just peeking up over the South end of Mt. Diablo – a majestic and awesome mountain around which much of our beautiful San Ramon Valley lies.

The dog barks, the boys invade my quiet . . . and so begins our day in the fabulous Greenbrook area of Danville!

I feel so fortunate to live and work in one of the most lovely communities in the East Bay. Danville still has a quaint charm which pulls from its past, and the Town has done an outstanding job balancing beautifully updated buildings while still maintaining the “old town” feel that welcomes visitors and residents with warmth and grace.

The area most call “Greenbrook” is actually comprised of several smaller pocket neighborhoods including Greenbrook, Sycamore, Danville Station, Shadow Hills, Danville Place, as well as the more upscale Hidden Hills/Tunbridge Estates and Hansen Lane Estates – a small enclave of Clarum-built solar powered and LEED certified luxury homes nestled on the edge of the Iron Horse Trail near Osage Park.

To keep things simple, let’s just call the area “Greenbrook”.

Osage Park and Las Trampas Hills

Tucked in between Sycamore Valley Road, Camino Ramon and Crow Canyon Road, the Greenbrook area was originally orchards. Miles and miles of endless orchards with lovely views of Mt. Diablo to the east and the Las Trampas Hills to the west. Every couple of miles you might run across a ranch home, but for the most part, the area was not developed until the 1970’s. One of the first developers to move into the Greenbrook area was Damé, who developed much of the area in the mid-1970’s to early 1980’s. The Housing Group and Shapell built the very popular Hidden Hills and Tunbridge Estates in the late 1980’s and 1990’s – an area now coined “Funbridge” for their open door neighborhood gatherings and huge Halloween block party.

In 2009, Clarum homes added their mark and brought our cozy “Greenbrook” into the 21st century with a small enclave of spectacular estate homes which are not only LEED certified and solar powered, but the first certified Zero Energy Homes in Contra Costa County.

But in the eyes of most Greenbrook area residents, it’s not the architecture, builder or developer that brought them here; it’s the outstanding schools and uniquely close-knit community. With two top rated elementary schools (John Baldwin Elementary and Greenbrook Elementary) and the highly rated Charlotte Wood Middle School right here in our backyards, this is an area where children can walk or ride their bikes to some of the best schools in Northern California. Teachers and families alike move to this area simply to attend our schools.

And with the outstanding San Ramon Valley High School nearing its 100-year anniversary, we have pride in knowing our children will benefit from 12 years of top notch education.

Part of what makes our schools and local community so strong is the level of family involvement here. Parents are not only involved in their childrens’ education and activities, but they are highly involved in helping their schools through fundraising, classroom involvement and staying politically active in Sacramento and beyond. The level of commitment not only improves our schools, but in turn strengthens our property values, as people continue to seek out homes in the area because of the schools and strong feeling of community.

Osage Park is a great place for families and friends to hang out, play sports, and have a great day!

Did I mention sports? Right in the center of our neighborhood is Osage Park, a 35-acre park known for its stunning memorial rose garden bordering a paved path which circles the park. In the center are multiple baseball diamonds and soccer fields, home to Danville Little League and site of many Mustang Soccer practices and games. There’s a quaint old Snack Shack that serves up the best burgers in town during baseball season, and a kids’ play area with jungle gyms and a mini-water park for the little ones.”

On a warm spring or summer afternoon, you’ll hear the chiming music of the ice cream truck as it arrives to cool down Osage’s visitors, young and old. In some ways, it’s a step back in time, which those of us who live here cherish.

On any given day in the Greenbrook area, you’ll find neighbors out walking with dogs on leash, babies in strollers, kids on trikes, bikes and scooters and empty-nesters out for a leisurely evening stroll. It’s a “wave and say hello” kind of neighborhood, where everyone knows each other and is truly happy to be here.”

 

Thank you so much Tracy! Do you have a community story you’d like to share? Send us an email or leave us a comment below, we’d love to hear from you!

Posted by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Empire Realty Associates

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Featured Neighborhood Story – Greenbrook (Danville, CA) – Great teachers are priceless!!

I was speaking to Empire Realty Partner & Broker Associate Barbara Youngman today about the community of Greenbrook. Barbara specializes in working with buyers and sellers throughout the Diablo and Tri-Valley communities, but she has a special place in her heart for Greenbrook; a very family oriented neighborhood in Danville, CA.

Barbara knows many of the teachers at Greenbrook School very well. Below is an article from Barbara about a very special teacher!

 

 “Something was MISSING, when school started at Greenbrook this year……

Mrs. Allred, a second grade teacher at the school for the past 13 years was missing! Her husband accepted a transfer with Wells Fargo Bank, to London. So, they sold their house and they are off on a new adventure. Mrs. Allred retired from her beloved position of helping children discover new concepts at this important time in learning development. Mrs. Allred says, “Children spend kindergarten and first grade ‘learning to read’. In second grade that changes to ‘reading to learn’.” How fortunate is the child that discovers the excitement found in the world of reading.

At this age children are learning to be accountable, aware of right and wrong, they want to be honest, they want to please, says Mrs. Allred. And, that the children at this age have inquiring minds, forming memories, writing stories, learning new skills in math, such as, “carry & borrow”. They also learn to tell time. They are eager sponges, just soaking up knowledge.

She first came to Greenbrook School on Valentine’s Day, to substitute in a kindergarten class for three weeks. The class of thirty two children had twenty boys. They had a difficult time getting a teacher to stay with such a lively class. Mrs. Allred got their attention right away by speaking in rhymes, which she continued to do for the remainder of the year—no regular conversation, always rhymes.

The children were captivated! The principle, seeing her abilities, hired her full time immediately. The next year and from then on, she taught second grade, which was her favorite.

Greenbrook School is the recipient of all the awards possible and is designated as a “Distingushed School”. Substitute teachers say that the school has the friendliest staff in the valley, a staff that is very open, loving and accepting. The parent support is one of the reasons for the school’s success. Parents devote many hours of volunteer work to assist in making the school a great asset to the community.

We will all miss Mrs. Allred and we thank her for her many years of giving to our community and to the children. Mrs. Allred thought that teaching at Greenbrook was the best postion anyone could have. She said, “You know, the children here are happy. It is wonderful to teach happy children. I have loved it and will always treasure my fond memories.”

Thank you Barbara!

Posted by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Empire Realty Associates

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Realtor, Tracy Pisenti is passionate about the close-knit community of Greenbrook. I asked to to put into her own words what she loved about Greenbrook, why it is so special to her, and why it is a great place to call home!