Rockridge Listings: True Urban Grit or Escape In The City?
Lots of activity in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood at the moment — and I’m not referring to hold-ups in restaurants or fresh goat meat finding favor on the menu at Oliveto’s.
By my calculation, there are about 15 new listings in this area — and I mean the Rockridge heartland, not including lower Elmwood or upper Rockridge, but taking a slightly more relaxed approach to the boundaries than Redin does.
Given that a combined freeway and BART train line runs straight through Rockridge, it can be difficult to find a home here where noise, not to mention air quality, isn’t a contributing factor. There may be an argument for embracing the urban grittiness of it all rather than try to fight it — in which case, 5635 Miles Avenue might be of interest to you. There is no doubt that you couldn’t be better placed if you commute by BART, for this 2/1, 1,274 sq ft one-level home is spitting distance from the tracks. Cute on the outside with a British Racing Green exterior, the interiors have seen better days, however. Price: $718,000 ($564/sq ft).
Further away from BART, but smack on a busy arterial road, 5766 Claremont Avenue looks good inside and out (and on the day I visited the street noise was muted — presumably a result of the 3/2 home’s double paned “tilt back” windows). I liked the classic Craftsman features — including a remarkable brick fireplace — and the generously sized master bedroom. The garden is tiny but perfectly landscaped. Price: $889,000 ($466/sq ft).
And then for something completely different. For it appears possible, after all, to escape the travails of city life while remaining at its very core: 391 Clifton Street (pictured above), a 2/1 shingled Craftsman, has all the feel of a weekend beach house, although it’s barely 600 meters away from Rockridge BART station. Set back on a large lot, there’s a Bohemian chic aspect to this little (756 sq ft) home which will suit anyone looking for a private retreat. There’s fashionable concrete countertop in the kitchen, a newly remodeled bathroom and a huge subarea with potential. Price: $599,000 ($792/sq ft).
Other Rockridge listings:
5616 Kales Avenue: 2/1 bungalow above Broadway described as “clean and crisp”: $799,000.
5321 Miles Avenue: 2+/1.5 unit with “rainforest” garden and passive solar energy: $535,000.
5641 Oak Grove: Big 5/1.5 house on a big (6,000 sq ft) lot that needs a little TLC: $899,000.
Check out more listings, as well as comprehensive Rockridge facts and figures, with Redfin’s Neighborhood Overview tool.
