Published July 10, 2025
Before the term "active adult community" had made it onto brochures, Sunny Glen was quietly making history as San Ramon’s first over-50 community. Built by Volk-McLain, the community opened with fanfare on June 30, 1963, drawing an estimated 2,000 families to its grand opening celebration.
Developed as the retirement-oriented community within San Ramon Village, Sunny Glen offered a lifestyle that was equal parts peaceful and perk-filled. Located within walking distance of a country club and riding stables, it reflected Volk-McLain’s broader vision for San Ramon as a planned suburban community with amenities built into everyday life.
Mapping Sunny Glen
The Sunny Glen community can be found south of Alcosta Boulevard, across from the San Ramon Golf Club, in San Ramon, California. Familiar streets include Firecrest Lane, Wisteria Street, Tangerine Street, and Craydon Circle.
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| The Sunny Glen retirement community by Volk-McLain is south of Alcosta Boulevard, off Firecrest Lane, in San Ramon, California. Image via Apple Maps. |
Sunny Glen homes and architectural style
When Volk-McLain introduced Sunny Glen in 1963, prospective buyers encountered the community through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in San Ramon.
The Sunny Glen home designs
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of Sunny Glen's architecture. Volk-McLain selected six models and two furnished apartments for the 1963 opening on Neptune Place and Craydon Circle. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Volk-McLain chose to put on display. Essentially, three floor plans were shown with variations in garage size and lot configuration.
The sales office (Plan 3)
The sales office was located in a modified Plan 3 home, with entry through the side.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's sales office in a Plan 3 design in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Plan 1
This design offered approximately 1,310 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Plan 1 model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Plan 2
This design offered approximately 1,165 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Plan 2 model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Plan 3
This design offered approximately 960 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Plan 3 model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Williamsburg
This design offered approximately 1,310 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Williamsburg model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Normandy
This design offered approximately 960 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Normandy model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Plan 6
This design offered approximately 1,165 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Volk-McLain's 1960 Plan 6 model in Sunny Glen. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Marketing Sunny Glen
As Volk-McLain was planning the community, it was originally conceived under the name Carefree World—a title that left little ambiguity about its target market. Plans called for 132 duplex units, 144 apartments, and 296 individual homes spanning both sides of the Alameda–Contra Costa county line.
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| June 1963 Daily Review ad—Sunny Glen promised an active, amenity-filled retirement: golfing, lawn bowling, poolside lounging, and plenty of ways to stay “carefree” (with just enough leisure to break a sweat). |
This was a community strictly for those 50 and up—a feature that was both its selling point and, as the ads made clear, part of the appeal.
The heart of Sunny Glen was its community center, open to all residents. Volk-McLain touted its fabulous amenities and calendar of events, including:
Dinners
Fashion shows
Square dancing
Talent programs
Themed parties (including the occasional luau, of course)
Outdoor facilities featured a swimming pool, whirlpool area, sunbathing deck, and lawn bowling green—a retirement-ready take on suburban recreation.
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| May 1965 Daily Review ad—after a lifetime of wishing kids would run and play, retirement marketing flipped the script: in Sunny Glen, they promised, children would be neither seen nor heard. |
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| May 1963 Oakland Tribune ad—the Williamsburg model in its heyday: fresh paint, manicured lawn, and all the mid-century optimism a three-bedroom ranch could hold. |
To create a more open, park-like feel, portions of the development—especially to the north and west—were originally set aside as open space. Over time, however, these open areas were gradually filled in as development pressure and community needs grew.
The tradeoff? Smaller private lots in exchange for shared tranquility—at least, that was the pitch.
Legacy of Sunny Glen
By mid-1967, Volk-McLain had concluded its sales efforts at Sunny Glen. The development had underperformed, and only one full unit—149 homes and 92 apartments—was ever completed. Dead-end streets suggest the planned expansion into today's Dublin and up the hills, but one can only imagine what that might have looked like.
Volk-McLain sold off its remaining assets in San Ramon Village. including Sunny Glen, in 1967. By 1969, the new owners were ready to re-energize the community—but an incomplete buildout might have left Sunny Glen with a new financial challenge. With fewer households than planned, community upkeep would have to be absorbed by existing homeowners.
Over the decades, several infill projects were added:
Tangerine Court condominiums (~1983, approx. 40 units)
Villa San Ramon and Ivy Park senior complexes (~1990)
Though the community's original vision shifted, Sunny Glen still holds the distinction of being San Ramon’s first over-50 community—complete with square dancing, AstroTurf, and a whirlpool bath under the sun.
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