Published August 1, 2026
In 1976, Standard-Pacific gave its Easy Street housing tract a fresh start. Renamed Pleasant Meadows, the final phase introduced new model homes, tile roofs, and a fresh marketing campaign aimed at buyers entering a recovering housing market. Although built on the same streets and served by the same sales office, Pleasant Meadows established its own identity while completing the final phase of Standard-Pacific's presence in the Del Prado neighborhood.
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| March 1976 ad announcing the grand opening of Pleasant Meadows in Pleasanton. The ad promoted a pastoral lifestyle just a commute away from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Priced from $47,990, homes came with modern touches—including ducts pre-installed for future air conditioning—catering to forward-thinking suburban buyers. |
Where is Pleasant Meadows?
Pleasant Meadows is an infill development in the Del Prado neighborhood, mostly along Hansen Drive.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Standard-Pacific homes in the Del Prado neighborhood in Pleasanton, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Why Easy Street became Pleasant Meadows
In March 1976, Standard-Pacific retired the Easy Street name and reopened the remaining home sites as Pleasant Meadows. Along with the new name came three new model homes—the Maple, Madrone, and Magnolia—while the popular Elm and Cypress plans continued from the earlier phase. Tile roofs also appeared for the first time, giving the later homes a distinctive appearance.
Standard-Pacific never publicly explained the name change, and surviving advertisements offer few clues. Whether the new identity reflected improving market conditions, a revised marketing strategy, or simply an effort to relaunch the remaining homes, the result was a single development remembered by two different names.
Ironically, the new name created its own confusion. Pleasant Meadows was easily mistaken for the much larger Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood across town—a mix-up that still persists today.
Selling the dream
The marketing shifted as much as the name. Advertisements abandoned the playful Easy Street branding in favor of a more pastoral image, inviting buyers to enjoy "the country" while remaining within commuting distance of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Modern conveniences—including homes pre-wired for future air conditioning—reflected changing expectations of suburban living.
One of the easiest ways to distinguish Pleasant Meadows homes today is by their tile roofs, an upgrade not offered during the Easy Street phase.
Legacy of Pleasant Meadows
Pleasant Meadows marked the final chapter of Standard-Pacific's work in the Del Prado neighborhood. Together, Easy Street and Pleasant Meadows filled one of the last undeveloped tracts between the earlier Mackay and Ditz-Crane subdivisions, completing another piece of Pleasanton's growing suburban landscape.
Today, few residents realize their neighborhood was marketed under two different names. The distinction survives mainly in newspaper advertisements and sales brochures, while subtle details—such as the original tile roofs and revised model lineup—continue to distinguish the Pleasant Meadows phase from its Easy Street predecessor.
The original Pleasant Meadows models and sales materials
When Standard-Pacific introduced Pleasant Meadows in 1976, 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 Pleasanton.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where Standard-Pacific's models were located, preserves the original sales material where available, and explores the designs the builder offered to prospective buyers when the community was new.
Original model home complex
When Pleasant Meadows opened, buyers toured a collection of Standard-Pacific model homes showcasing the neighborhood’s mix of architecture, indoor-outdoor living, and family-oriented floor plans. Though individual elevations varied, these original models helped define much of the neighborhood’s visual identity.
Utilizing the same Easy Street sales office on Hansen Drive, buyers could still choose the Elm and Cypress models from Standard-Pacific's earlier Easy Street home community.
The three original models opened in 1976 on Hansen Drive.
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| Annotated aerial view of the Pleasant Meadows model homes on Hansen Drive. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
Original advertised prices
- Mar. 1976 advertisement: From $47,990
Former model homes
1. The Maple - This model offered approximately 1,520 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Maple model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Madrone - This model offered approximately 1,636 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Madrone model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Magnolia - This model offered approximately 1,481 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Magnolia model today via Google Street View. |
Collection
Pleasanton — the places that built a modern city
This collection explores the housing tracts, builders, and neighborhoods that reshaped Pleasanton during the decades when the city evolved from an agricultural town into one of the East Bay's defining suburban cities.
Continue exploring
- Easy Street: Standard-Pacific's 1972 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Del Prado: Ditz-Crane Homes' 1969 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Del Prado: Mackay Homes' 1969 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Del Prado: Mackay Homes' 1973 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Del Prado — a Pleasanton neighborhood of many housing tracts
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