Mark West Station

There are a lot of unique neighborhoods in Sonoma County. Tucked in between Santa Rosa and Windsor and bounded by Old Redwood Highway, Fulton Road, and Highway 101 is a small enclave of about 80 homes. They’re on Mark West Station Road, Donna Road, and Kay Avenue. The streets are laid out in the shape of an H with Kay as the crossbar.

Ecological ReserveMark West Station GrapesThe west end of the area is bordered by vineyards running all the way to Highway 101 and an ecological reserve that is an excellent example of the woodlands and plains that once covered most of the Santa Rosa area.

There’s a big range of home sizes here, from tiny cottages to elaborate, modern houses.Mark West Station cottage
The lots tend to be big with one acre parcels as the most common size.One of the things I like most is the tree lined character of the area with some really terrific oaks. Mark West Station Magnificent OakOne of the reasons for the health of the vegetation here vegetation health is the high water table. It will flood in the winter when rains are heavy and the ground is saturated. Houses that are at grade level are vulnerable.

Large Lots in Mark West Station AreaI think this is an area poised for improvement and growth. This is a superb location where you could bicycle to work anywhere in the Airport Blvd area of Santa Rosa. The current large lots combined with the modest existing homes represent excellent land values capable of supporting much more highly valued homes. A combination of owners remodeling their homes along with newcomers starting from scratch is likely to change the character of this charming neighborhood.

Mark West Station TreehouseI just hope that in the rush to build new and better homes we don’t forget to allow for entry level housing for our young population. I was remembering today about the fun I had at age ten working with my dad to build a tree house. It wasn’t as nice as this one, but it inspired me to enjoy the building process.