Portola, San Francisco: Homes, San Bruno Avenue & Real Estate Guide
The Portola is a hillside neighborhood of single-family houses in southeast San Francisco, roughly between Interstate 280 on the north, San Bruno Avenue and US 101 on the east, Mansell Street on the south and University Street on the west. Its Assessor subdistrict, 10F, counts about 4,390 parcels on the 2025 roll, of which about 3,830 are single-family houses.
San Bruno Avenue is the neighborhood’s main street, and John McLaren Park lies to the southwest. The name comes from the old Portola School, named for the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà.
Portola homes for sale
Portola market report
The Garden District: greenhouses as a land use
Before houses filled its blocks, the Portola had working farms and greenhouses. Wikipedia’s account of the neighborhood traces its “Garden District” nickname to urban farming that dates to the early 1900s, when the area held more than 20 working commercial farms and greenhouses and grew much of the city’s flower crop, here and in the Portola Heights extension uphill to the west.
For a buyer, the farming era is mainly a records question. If a parcel is noticeably larger, deeper or differently shaped than its neighbors, the deed history and the permit record show how it was used and assembled, and whether any outbuildings were ever permitted.
University Mound: reservoirs and a landmark
Along University Street, on the Portola’s western edge, is University Mound. Living New Deal records that a 60-million-gallon reservoir already stood on the site at 410 University Street when, in 1936, a second reservoir holding 82 million gallons was begun as part of a $12 million water-supply program financed by a 1933 bond and a federal Public Works Administration grant. The newer basin measures about 840 by 965 feet.
Next door, the University Mound Old Ladies Home at 350 University Street is San Francisco Landmark No. 269, a Colonial Revival building of reinforced concrete and brick from 1930–31 by architects Martin J. Rist and Alfred I. Coffey, per NoeHill’s landmark listing.
Houses, lots and building types
The median single-family house in 10F was built in 1947, on a lot of about 2,500 square feet, with about 1,375 square feet of living area. That postwar median sets the Portola apart from the 1920s medians of the Excelsior next door.
Other building types are a small share of the roll:
- about 125 two-unit flats and about 55 flat-and-store buildings;
- about 60 small apartment buildings of up to four units, 19 of 5 to 14 units and 2 larger ones;
- about 53 townhouse parcels and 43 condominium units.
Zoning and the San Bruno Avenue NCD
The Assessor’s zoning field codes about 3,580 of the 10F parcels RH-1, about 330 RH-2 and about 140 RH-1(D). Planning’s current map shows the same residential pattern plus RM-1 pockets, NC-1 and NC-S commercial parcels, public land and, along the freeway edges, PDR-1-B, PDR-2 and M-1 industrial districts.
San Bruno Avenue has its own district. Planning Code Section 741 sets the San Bruno Avenue Neighborhood Commercial District “along San Bruno Avenue between Hale and Olmstead Streets” as a small, linear shopping street:
| Control | San Bruno Avenue NCD (Sec. 741) |
|---|---|
| Height | Generally 40-X; 5-foot bonus for active ground-floor uses |
| Housing | Permitted on all floors; encouraged above the ground story in new buildings; ADUs permitted |
| Density | One unit per 800 sq ft of lot area, or the nearest residential district’s limit if greater |
| Commercial limits | Drive-up facilities not permitted; formula retail conditional; uses from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. conditional |
| Parking | No car parking required; bike parking required |
Wikipedia notes that the avenue is known locally as “The Road.”
Slopes, the Islais lowland and flood maps
The Portola is a hill, and the state’s landslide map reflects that in small patches. Planning’s earthquake-induced landslide layer shows a dozen small polygons in the 10F envelope: a cluster on the north-facing slope toward Interstate 280 and Alemany Boulevard, and a few near the south edge toward McLaren Park. A point we checked on San Bruno Avenue is outside every hazard zone and in FEMA Zone X.
At the bottom of the hill the ground changes. Planning’s liquefaction layer includes a large polygon stretching from the Alemany Boulevard area northeast toward the bay, roughly along the old Islais Creek lowland, and its southern edge reaches the freeway side of the Portola’s northern boundary. A mapped zone has to be disclosed when a property sells. For the parcel-level check, use our San Francisco hazard maps guide, which also covers the SFPUC’s 100-year storm flood map and its Article 51 seller disclosure.
Getting around
The 9 San Bruno and 9R San Bruno Rapid serve the avenue, with published termini at Bayshore and Arleta, Sunnydale and McLaren School. The 54 Felton runs between Newhall and Hudson in Bayview and Daly City station. Route lists date from 2022, so confirm current service with SFMTA.
By car, US 101 and Interstate 280 both border the neighborhood, per Wikipedia’s boundary description. The nearest Caltrain stop is Bayshore, reachable on the T Third from Arleta.
Selling a home in the Portola
A Portola house is usually compared on three things: the view and slope of the lot, how the lower level has been used, and whether the yard is usable. Sellers can answer each of them with records.
- Lower level. On sloped lots, a garage with rooms below the main floor is the most common question. Check the 3R report against the plan; if a room was never permitted, our unwarranted units page explains the paths forward.
- Slope and drainage. On the hill’s steeper edges, collect any retaining wall, drainage or geotechnical reports and check the landslide map.
- Lot history. For an unusually large or deep parcel, a title and permit review shows how the parcel was assembled, which affects what can be added.
- Adding a unit. RH-1 and RH-2 lots may support an ADU; our ADU investment guide covers the numbers.
Citywide sale rules, from the 3R report to transfer tax, are on our San Francisco selling requirements page.
Questions people ask
Why is the Portola called the Garden District?
Wikipedia traces the nickname to urban farming from the early 1900s, when more than 20 commercial farms and greenhouses operated here and grew much of the city’s flower crop.
What is University Mound?
The high ground along University Street at the Portola’s west edge. It holds the University Mound reservoirs, including an 82-million-gallon basin begun in 1936, and the University Mound Old Ladies Home, San Francisco Landmark No. 269.
What is the San Bruno Avenue NCD?
The neighborhood commercial district along San Bruno Avenue between Hale and Olmstead Streets under Planning Code Section 741, with a generally 40-X height limit and housing allowed above the ground floor.
Is the Portola in a landslide zone?
Most of it is not, but Planning’s map shows small landslide polygons on the north slope toward I-280 and Alemany Boulevard and near the south edge by McLaren Park. Check the specific parcel.
What are typical Portola lot sizes?
The median single-family lot on the 2025 Assessor roll is about 2,500 square feet, with about 1,375 square feet of living area. Former nursery parcels can be larger.
How do I get downtown from the Portola?
The 9 San Bruno runs to 11th and Market on weekdays and to Ferry Plaza at other times, per published route lists, and US 101 and I-280 border the neighborhood. Check SFMTA for current routes.
Planning a sale or a purchase in the Portola? Get a home valuation that weighs your lot, slope and lower-level space against recent sales nearby. Neighboring guides cover the Excelsior, Silver Terrace, Visitacion Valley and Bernal Heights across the freeway, as well as SF District 10 and the San Francisco guide.
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts by property class, median build year, lot and building area of single-family parcels, zoning codes and parcel extents for neighborhood codes 10A-10N; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (zoning districts, special use districts, FEMA flood hazard, CGS liquefaction and landslide zone, plan area and supervisor district layers; queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning Code (via GoCodebook): Sec. 741, San Bruno Avenue Neighborhood Commercial District
- Wikipedia: Portola, San Francisco (boundaries, name, Garden District history, San Bruno Avenue; background only)
- Living New Deal: University Mound Reservoir, San Francisco
- NoeHill in San Francisco: San Francisco Landmark 269, University Mound Old Ladies Home
- California Geological Survey: Seismic Hazards Program
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map information sheet and FAQs (December 2024 update)
- Wikipedia: List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines (route names and termini; status as of July 2022)
- Wikipedia: T Third Street (opening dates, Central Subway, station list)
- Caltrain: Bayshore station page (fare zone 1)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
