Belmont, CA

In our last "Streets Around Us" blog we included a teaser about Belmont's first and only golf course.

Unfortunately for fans of the sport, the course is not some well kept secret-in fact it has been gone for years.

(Historic registery home in Belmont on what was once the golf course perimeter).

Around 1925 the team of Lyon, Monroe and Miller had a grand scheme to create an 18 hole golf course adjacent a tony clubhouse complete with swimming "tank", tennis and handball courts and a children's wading pool that would be the envy of the Peninsula. The clubhouse would be called "Belle Monti" and cost $65,000 to complete. An innovative tactic was employed to attract would-be buyers which included free bus rides from San Francisco where prospective buyers were plied with beer and induced to buy a home. Membership for the club cost $100 but was included with every home sale on the very streets that bore their names.

Around 1929 the Belle Monti project fell on financial hard times and an attempt to salvage the operation was launched by opening the club to the public. But in 1929 the stock market crash forced members to either drop out or move away and the corporation went bankrupt. The "Hillcrest" golf course was eventually subdivided into lots for the WWII returning veterans and today we find only remnants of a bye-gone era with street names such as Fairway and a few stately homes (now on Belmont's historic registry) which lay on what was once the perimeter of the course.

On the topic of streets, did you know William Sharon, a U.S. Senator from Nevada, has a small street, Sharon Road, named after himself in Belmont? Find out why Belmont also had a lake named after Sharon in our next issue or visit our Belmont blog website BeautifulMountainBlog.org

Belmont's best weather is upon us in the month of September and this event should be a fun day for the whole family.

Belmont Picnic in The Park

Sunday, September 21st 2008

11AM - 3PM

Twin Pines Park Meadow

Celebrate National Neighborhood Day! Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch for this day

of bringing families and neighbors together promoting a stronger community.

Come for great fun with children's games & activities including

• Tug Of War • Disaster Preparedness by Belmont/San Carlos Fire Dept.

• Public Safety by the Belmont Police Dept. • Music and much more!

Sponsored by: Belmont Youth Action Committee,

VOICES (Volunteer Outreach Involvement in Community Events &

Services) & the Belmont Parks & Recreation Department.

For more info: 595-7441

Tuesday's are tour days of agents. We get a chance to see all of the new listings in one fell swoop. Some of these homes have been open the previous Sunday and you may have already seen them. If you haven't, here's my update on the Belmont Homes that were in my Weekly Update last week but toured today, September 2^nd 2008:

2422 Hastings 3 Bed/ 2.5 Bath 2,250 Sq Ft Attached Home LISTED for $1,038,000. These are attached homes in the Belmont Hills. You tend to get a lot of home for your money but not much land. This home needs some updating. On the plus side it's an end unit home so you only have neighbors on one side. Nice canyon views from the rear of the home.

1909 Lyon 3 Bed 2.5 Bath 1,600 Sq. Ft. home LISTED for $912,000. This is a nice home with a lower extra room. It's in move-in looking condition and on a nice quiet portion of Lyon.

2014 Lyon 2 Bed/2 Bath 1,761 Sq Ft Home. I'm skeptical about this home's reported square footage but nevertheless it's an excellent deal for a west side Belmont hills location and wins our Best Belmont Deal of the week at only $779,000.

512 Alameda de Las Pulgas 2 Beds/ 1 Bath 1,230 Sq Ft home. Don't let the busy address fool you. This home sits back on a quiet driveway off of the Alameda. LISTED for $804,000.

Bring your contractor to this home. It's on a busy street as you know but it does sit way back. I like the older Spanish style architecture it has but that also translates into some much needed work to be done.

Belmont's Best Deal of the Week-September 2nd 2008. This home just popped out at us as being one of the best deals we've seen in awhile. I'm a little skeptical about the reported square footage but it's still a good deal. Once in the home the upper level flows out to the rear yard and it's all level--a real plus in the hills. There's what is being called a permitted room and bath down in the garage making it a three bedroom if it's really permitted. Anytime a room opens into a garage it's not supposed to be a legal room (Uniform Building Code citing). It may have been permitted at one time, making it a legal non-conforming room. Oh and it had nice views too! 2014 LYON AV, Belmont 94002 (Belmont) $779,900 Beds: 2 bed(s) Baths: 2 bath(s) DOM: 6 CDOM: 6 MLS: 80830339 Property Overview 2014 LYON AV Belmont (Belmont) 94002 Detached Single Family (Class 1) Bed/Bath: 2 / 2 SqFt: 1,761 Lot: 4,000 sq ft Yr Built / Age: 1951 / 57 years Assoc Fee: List Price: $779,900 Sale Price: Sale Date: COE Date: Remarks This spacious approx 1761 sq. ft. Belmont Country Club light and bright home with den has views of the hills,beautiful hardwood floors,wood burning fireplace and a open floor plan flowing out to the patio and deck. This home is perfect for entertaining. Formal entry, dining room, eat-in kitchen,freshly painted interior and exterior and 2-car garage.Close to shopping and easy access to 280 & 101. Schools/Districts Elem: - -/ Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary Middle: - - High: - -/ Sequoia Union High Property Features Familyroom No Family Room Informal Dining Area Eat in Kitchen Other Rooms Den or Study Bedroom Descriptions - - Shower And Tub 1 Shower over Tub Shower 1 Stall Shower Other Areas Formal Entry Laundry Area - Garage Amenities 220 Volts in Kitchen 220 Volts in Laundry Area Cable TV Available Gas Water Heater Fireplace Location Fireplace in Living Room Floor Covering(S) Linoleum or Vinyl Partial Hardwood Tile Wall to Wall Carpeting Energy Features Insulated Hot Water Heater Listing Includes 1 Dishwasher 1 Refrigerator Dryer Free Standing Range/Oven Washer Garage/Parking 2 Car Garage Attached Off Street Parking Lot Description Lot Sloped Up from Street View Neighborhood View Valley View Yards/Grounds Deck Fenced Yard Patio or Deck Covered Has Pool No Pool Pool Description - - Pool Options - - Style Traditional Horse Property No Horse Property Description - - Listed By Valerie Dakin, Alain Pinel Realtors Presented by Christine Morgan, Carlmont Associates, 650-508-1441, cmorgan@morganhomes.com ** Information contained on this report is designed for accuracy but is not guaranteed ** <script src="../s_code.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"></script>

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What’s going on in Belmont over the Labor Day weekend?

The Greek Festival!

Be sure and stop by the Greek Festival held every year on the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Church at the corner of Ralston Ave. and Alameda de las Pulgas. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend over the three days of festivities.

There is great food and fun for everyone with music, dancing arts & crafts. Admission is only $5.00 for adults and children under 12 are free. This year they’ll have a special “fun zone” for the kids too.

If you are a foodie like us you’ll enjoy BBQ lamb, Dolmades, Spanakopita and of course desserts like Baklava layered with honey and nuts.

Here’s their schedule of activities if you can’t decide when to go. This is one of Belmont’s best get-togethers for the community and if you see us be sure and say hi!

We usually get some complimentary tickets since we contribute to the festival's directory so if you’re planning on going let us know and we’ll send some out to you.

The weather is typically warm around Labor Day in Belmont. We plotted the last two years and as you can see the end of August and September is pretty nice (see below) but it's always a good idea to layer in Belmont.