Bay Meadows

Jessica & Michael fell in love with Bay Meadows the moment they laid eyes on it—back when they visited the racetrack as kids. These local natives were thrilled when they heard the plans for the place they’d loved for so long. They were some of the early pioneers to get in on the action, purchasing their first home at Landsdowne in 2013. Upon finding out they were going to become a family of five, they realized it was time to find a larger home. Luckily they only had to move down the street.

What made you choose Bay Meadows?

Michael was raised in Palo Alto and grew up visiting the racetrack at Bay Meadows. When he found out about the plans for the community, he was adamant that we come check it out. We got incredibly lucky to “win the lottery” on our second try with Shea Homes. Even though there were no model homes and no one had moved in yet when we bought our first home at Landsdowne, we saw the potential right from the start. From a practical standpoint, it’s centrally located and has easy access to freeways and public transportation. But more than that, we knew that buying a home here meant that we were going to be part of a community. We had very high hopes and Bay Meadows has never disappointed us.

After living at Landsdowne for almost 2 years, what made you choose to buy another home in the Bay Meadows’ community?

We added another member to our family quite quickly after moving into our first home, and we simply outgrew the space. We felt at home here and didn’t want to leave. We fell in love with everything that Bay Meadows has to offer, and we were lucky enough to get to stay! We know that it may seem silly to some people to move just down the street, but we always say, “if something works, work it hard!”

Do you plan on doing anything fabulous with your home decoration?

Well, we decided to do a lot of the upgrades ourselves this time, and so far we are pretty happy with the results. We changed out the countertops and flooring and added some custom cabinetry to fit our lifestyle.

What amenity most excites you about life at Bay Meadows and why?

We really dig the community garden! It’s funny because I have the opposite of a green thumb, but we think it’s fun to learn how/what/when to grow things, especially since we are learning alongside our kids who love to go to the garden and pick strawberries that they grew themselves! They feel a lot of pride when they see what comes from “their” garden. *Side note: the community garden may become our second favorite garden once the beer garden is finished!

Do you have any advice for new home purchasers?

Enjoy the process. It’s a pretty unique experience to get to buy a brand new home, and lots of excitement comes along with that. It’s even more unique to get to do it in the heart of the Bay Area within a community that’s so ahead of the curve.

 

Quick fire round (1-word or phrase)

3 words you’d use to describe Bay Meadows?

Innovative, Inviting, and Home

3 words you’d use to describe San Mateo?

Central, Diverse, and Fun

Best local bite:

El Palenque for burritos!!

Favorite home technology devise or trend: Amazon Echo

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