Diamond Heights, SF Real Estate & Homes for Sale
Diamond Heights is the San Francisco hilltop neighborhood between Twin Peaks and Glen Canyon that the Redevelopment Agency planned in the 1960s and 1970s. It mixes single-family houses with many condominium units, part of it is an eligible historic district of Modernist housing, and slopes carry mapped landslide zones.
Explore Diamond Heights, SF real estate and homes for sale with this local guide. Contact Diamond to discuss your criteria and current property-search options.
| County | San Francisco (City and County) |
|---|---|
| Local government | San Francisco Planning |
| Housing | 1960s–70s single-family houses and condominiums |
| Hazards to check | 22 mapped landslide polygons; strips of liquefaction near Portola Drive |
| Getting around | Muni 52 Excelsior on Diamond Heights Boulevard |
| Local rules | Eligible Modernist historic district; two special use districts |
Diamond Heights is the hilltop neighborhood between Twin Peaks and Glen Canyon that the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency planned and sold to builders in the 1960s and 1970s, which is why its streets carry names like Amber, Topaz and Turquoise. It is subdistrict 4B in the MLS’s District 4 .
Very little in Diamond Heights predates 1960. The neighborhood was assembled under one public plan, built by a handful of developers over about two decades, and part of it is now recognized by Planning as an eligible historic district of Modernist housing.
Diamond Heights homes for sale
Diamond Heights market report
From redevelopment area to neighborhood
Planning’s 2018 historic resource evaluation for a house on Amber Drive summarizes how the project unfolded:
- 1948: the Redevelopment Agency is established under the state’s Community Redevelopment Act of 1945.
- 1950: Diamond Heights is designated a redevelopment area; a revised plan with a smaller boundary, called Area B-1, follows in 1952.
- 1950s: site clearance is delayed by litigation, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency v. Hayes.
- May 9, 1961: the first parcel auction, alongside the announcement of the Red Rock Hill design competition.
- September 27, 1978: the project area is fiscally closed out, though some construction continues until 1983.
The same report records a population of 374 before redevelopment and about 7,300 afterward. It counts 1,804 market-rate units and 458 units for low- and moderate-income households among the new housing.
Eichler, Claude Oakland and the Stage 1 district
Stage 1 was the first round of building. Planning’s report names Eichler Homes, Galli Construction and the Alvin Corporation as its major players, with San Francisco Redevelopers among the builders of commercial sites and condominiums. Architect Claude Oakland designed six floor plans for the 104 single-family houses Eichler built here, and the landscape firm Royston, Hanamoto & Mayes worked with him.
Planning’s California Register layer now shows a Diamond Heights Historic District, listed in its Property Information Map as the Diamond Heights Stage 1 Historic District. Planning rates it eligible for the California Register (not the National Register) on two grounds: its role in the redevelopment project and its character as a cohesive Modernist tract. The period of significance is 1962 to 1965.
According to the evaluation, the district takes in the houses on Amethyst, Cameo, Quartz and Turquoise ways and Amber Drive, the south side of part of Duncan Street, and the multi-family condominiums between Red Rock Way and Diamond Heights Boulevard. If you are drawn to the Eichler plans, our guide to Eichler homes in the Bay Area covers what buyers usually check in houses of this type.
Houses and condominiums on the 2025 roll
The Assessor’s build years trace the stages. Single-family houses went up mostly in the 1960s; the large condominium projects followed in the 1970s.
Compare the particular property’s lot dimensions, permitted living area, construction history and ownership form using current records. Assessment classifications do not certify legal use or current listing availability.
Before comparing an Ora Way unit with a market-rate condo, ask the title company and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development whether a recorded affordability restriction applies to it.
Gem streets and the neighborhood center
Diamond Heights Boulevard, renamed from Veteran Boulevard according to Planning’s report, is the spine. West of it, most streets are named for jewels and minerals, such as Topaz, Amber, Amethyst, Carnelian, Quartz, Turquoise, Jade and Cameo, or for landforms, such as Ora Way and Crags Court. Gold Mine Drive, Berkeley Way, Duncan Street and Red Rock Way fill out the map.
The commercial heart is the neighborhood center on Diamond Heights Boulevard, where the roll records commercial buildings from 1964 and 1975 and Planning maps NC-S (Neighborhood Commercial, Shopping Center) zoning.
Twin Peaks rises to the north. Across Portola Drive to the northwest is Midtown Terrace, Miraloma Park lies west across O’Shaughnessy Boulevard, and Glen Park and its canyon open up below to the south and east.
Zoning and two special use districts
At the neighborhood center, Planning’s current map shows NC-S with a 40//40-R-4 height district and two overlapping special use districts:
- Family and Senior Housing Opportunity SUD, which covers much of the city’s house zoning; the District 4 overview linked above explains its added-unit path and its exclusion of historic buildings, which matters for Stage 1 contributors.
- Central Neighborhoods Large Residence SUD (Planning Code Section 249.92), whose perimeter runs along Bosworth Street, O’Shaughnessy Boulevard and Portola Drive. For complete applications filed since January 1, 2022, it bars a new or expanded unit larger than 3,000 square feet of gross floor area, except for expansions under 15 percent.
The Stage 1 house blocks are different again. At 225 Amber Drive, inside the historic district, Planning’s map shows RH-1 zoning with the same 40//40-R-4 height district and both special use districts, even though apartment codes cover most of the neighborhood.
This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a land use attorney or architect about a specific lot.
Glen Canyon, slopes and mapped hazard zones
The neighborhood sits on steep ground above Glen Canyon, which Planning’s report describes as reaching about 250 feet deep, with Islais Creek running through it. Planning’s earthquake-induced landslide layer returns 22 mapped polygons within a rectangle drawn around the 4B parcels; a point we checked on the open-space slope below the neighborhood center fell inside one.
The liquefaction layer shows two polygons in the same rectangle: a narrow strip along Portola Drive at the northern edge, and an area that follows the canyon floor toward Glen Park. The rectangle also takes in neighboring ground, so these counts describe the setting, not individual lots. At 225 Amber Drive, FEMA’s flood layer on Planning’s map shows Zone X, outside the special flood hazard area.
Sellers have to disclose a mapped-zone location. The Natural Hazard Disclosure guide covers that report, and our hazard maps page walks through a parcel lookup.
The 52 Excelsior and the drive out
The 52 Excelsior is the neighborhood’s Muni line. SFMTA’s route page shows it on Diamond Heights Boulevard with stops at Berkeley Way, Gold Mine Drive and Duncan Street, and outbound buses loop along Duncan Street past Amber Drive and Cameo Way. Toward the west it runs via Portola Drive and Woodside Avenue to Forest Hill Station, where the K, L and M Muni Metro lines stop; toward the east it descends Diamond Street through Glen Park.
Buses come about every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 on weekends; SFMTA shows the first weekday trips at 6 a.m., weekend service starting at 8 and the last trips around 10 p.m. By car, Portola Drive and O’Shaughnessy Boulevard are the main connections.
Costs to plan for when buying in Diamond Heights
Transfer tax. San Francisco charges one transfer tax under Article 12-C. The rate for the price tier applies to the whole price: $3.40 per $500 above $250,000 and under $1 million, $3.75 per $500 from $1 million to under $5 million, and higher tiers above that (SF transfer tax; Assessor-Recorder). The seller customarily pays. See our San Francisco transfer tax page for worked examples.
Property tax. The city has one secured rate: 1.18162182% of net taxable value for fiscal 2026–27, plus direct charges and special assessments. The first installment becomes delinquent after 5 p.m. on December 10, and the second after 5 p.m. on April 10 (Treasurer & Tax Collector). Supplemental bills follow a purchase. See our San Francisco property tax guide.
Condo costs. For a condominium, include association dues, reserves and possible assessments in the ownership budget. Read the budget, reserve study, insurance summary and minutes for planned special assessments, and confirm whether a unit carries a recorded affordability restriction. See HOA documents, buying a condo and San Francisco condos.
Selling a home in Diamond Heights: local requirements
San Francisco adds city steps to the state disclosures. Start them when you sign the listing agreement:
- 3R report: Housing Code §351 requires the owner of a residential building to obtain the Report of Residential Building Record from the Department of Building Inspection and deliver it to the buyer. The fee is $379 per residential building, and the request must identify the property and condominium status correctly (Request a 3R report).
- Water conservation: homes must meet the city’s water-efficiency standards for toilets, showerheads and faucets at sale, under Housing Code Chapter 12A (SFPUC).
- Energy conservation: a Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance inspection is needed if the building has never passed one (SF Environment).
- Flood risk disclosure: sellers disclose whether the parcel is in the SFPUC’s 100-year storm flood risk zone (SFPUC flood map FAQs).
On a hillside house, also gather drainage and retaining-wall permits. Our San Francisco seller requirements page has the full checklist.
Permits, ADUs and remodels in Diamond Heights
The Planning Department and the Department of Building Inspection handle permits, and two local layers apply. Houses in the Stage 1 area are in an eligible historic district. And the Central Neighborhoods Large Residence special use district caps a new or expanded unit at 3,000 square feet of gross floor area, except for expansions under 15 percent.
The City’s ADU guide lists the steps (Get a building permit for an ADU):
- Pre-application items: these can include historic resource review by Planning, a posted ADU notice sent to the Rent Board, fire-flow data from SF Fire, and a valid-address confirmation.
- Local program: needs a Planning approval letter and a 15-day posted notice before filing.
- State program: goes through a Permit Review Roundtable with DBI, Planning, Public Works, SF Fire and the SFPUC, which the City says generally has a shorter timeline.
- Budget: obtain current design, construction, utility, engineering and permit-fee estimates for the specific project; a generic old minimum is not a reliable construction budget.
In a condominium, the HOA’s CC&Rs and architectural approval come before any city permit.
Luxury homes and estates in Diamond Heights
The upper end in Diamond Heights is mostly the 1960s Modernist single-family houses, including Eichler houses designed by Claude Oakland in the Stage 1 historic district, plus larger condominium units with hillside outlooks. For a buyer, the planning facts are the eligible historic district (which affects exterior changes and the Family and Senior Housing SUD’s added-unit path), the 3,000-square-foot Large Residence cap, and the mapped landslide zones on the slopes above Glen Canyon.
For a high-value purchase here, we focus on:
- Permit history: the 3R report against the current layout, with permits for additions.
- Hillside condition: a geotechnical look at drainage and retaining walls on downslope lots.
- HOA health: the association’s finances for condos.
- Insurance: earthquake and homeowners coverage quoted early. See earthquake insurance and insuring a high-value home.
For a Stage 1 house, ask the seller for any Planning historic-resource determination already on file, because it shortens the next owner’s design conversation. Our Eichler homes guide and San Francisco luxury homes page go further.
Ask Diamond Real Estate Group which permitted private-marketing options fit your property, goals and the applicable MLS rules. Availability of any particular listing is not guaranteed. We can’t promise that any particular property will be available.
For a Large Residence SUD project, confirm the mapped boundary, application-date exceptions and the code’s floor-area calculation before relying on a summary. Qualifying state-law housing paths require their own eligibility review.
Sources for this section
- City and County of San Francisco, transfer tax: https://www.sf.gov/transfer-tax
- San Francisco Assessor-Recorder, transfer tax rates: https://sfassessor.org/node/71
- San Francisco Treasurer & Tax Collector, secured property taxes: https://sftreasurer.org/property/secured-property-taxes
- City and County of San Francisco, Request a 3R report: https://www.sf.gov/request3r
- SFPUC, Residential Water Conservation: https://www.sfpuc.gov/construction-contracts/new-developments/residential-water-conservation
- SF Environment, Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance: https://www.sfenvironment.org/residential-energy-conservation-ordinance
- SFPUC, 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map FAQs: https://www.sfpuc.gov/learning/emergency-preparedness/flood-maps
- City and County of San Francisco, Get a building permit for an ADU: https://www.sf.gov/get-a-building-permit-for-an-accessory-dwelling-unit-adu
Selling a home in Diamond Heights
Buyers here often weigh a condominium against a house in the same neighborhood, or an Eichler against a later 1960s house nearby, so the listing has to make the product clear.
- Condominium units: assemble the association’s governing documents, budget, reserve information and minutes, as listed in our San Francisco condo guide.
- Historic status: check whether the house or building is inside the Stage 1 district before promising buyers an addition or a new facade.
- Permits: pull the record for decks, enclosed patios and lower-level rooms, which are common changes on sloping lots.
- Ground: include any geotechnical, drainage or retaining-wall reports, and the parcel’s seismic hazard status.
- City requirements: complete the items on our San Francisco selling requirements page, including the 3R report.
Diamond may refer you to partners we work with, such as home inspectors or structural engineers; you’re free to choose any provider. Current 4B prices appear in the market report on this page.
Questions people ask
When was Diamond Heights built?
Mostly from 1961, when the Redevelopment Agency held its first parcel auction, through the 1970s. Planning’s report says the project area was fiscally closed out in 1978, with some construction continuing until 1983.
Was Diamond Heights a redevelopment project?
Yes. It was designated a redevelopment area in 1950, with a revised plan adopted in 1952, and the Agency sold cleared parcels to private developers.
Are there Eichler homes in Diamond Heights?
Yes. Planning’s evaluation says Eichler Homes built 104 single-family houses here to six plans by architect Claude Oakland, mostly in the Stage 1 area around Amber Drive and the gem-named ways.
Is Diamond Heights a historic district?
Part of it. Planning lists the Diamond Heights Stage 1 Historic District as eligible for the California Register, with a period of significance of 1962 to 1965.
Are there condos in Diamond Heights?
Use current listings to identify the property type you need, then verify its ownership form, legal unit count and any recorded restrictions.
Which Muni line serves Diamond Heights?
The 52 Excelsior, which runs on Diamond Heights Boulevard and connects to Forest Hill Station and Glen Park. Check SFMTA for current service.
Thinking about selling a house or condo here? Request a home valuation and we will compare it with Diamond Heights sales of the same type and era. For the rest of the city, start with our San Francisco guide.
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts by class and class definitions, build years and zoning codes for subdistrict 4B, Ora Way BMR condominium listing, Duncan Street listing; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (zoning, height and special use districts at the neighborhood center and at 225 Amber Drive; California Register Historic Districts layer record for the Diamond Heights Historic District; landslide, liquefaction and FEMA flood layers; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: Historic Resource Evaluation Response, 261 Amber Drive, Case 2016-006782ENV (Diamond Heights Stage 1 Historic District)
- San Francisco Planning Code (via GoCodebook): Sec. 249.92, Central Neighborhoods Large Residence Special Use District
- SFMTA: 52 Excelsior route page (streets, stops, hours and frequency)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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