Fair Oaks · CA
Fair Oaks Village, Fair Oaks: Neighborhood Guide
This is the old town center of Fair Oaks, with Plaza Park, the Community Clubhouse and the amphitheater, under two county overlays.
What is Fair Oaks Village?
Fair Oaks Village is the original business district of Fair Oaks, above the American River where Bridge Street climbs from the Fair Oaks Bridge. The Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District's master plan describes the Village as the heart of the community. Its landmarks are Plaza Park, Village Park, the Community Clubhouse, the old Fair Oaks Library and the Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre.
Two county overlays cover Fair Oaks Village and the homes around it. The Fair Oaks Village Special Planning Area, adopted in 1979, governs the commercial core. The Fair Oaks Village Neighborhood Preservation Area, adopted in 2006, covers 94 nearby residential parcels.
Talk With Maggie About Fair Oaks Village
How did Fair Oaks Village grow up?
In 1901 Frederick Cox donated 2 1/2 acres in the Village, and local builder Joseph Broadley put up a building there in 1902, according to the park district's history. That building, later cut to one story in a 1930s Works Progress Administration renovation, is today's Community Clubhouse.
Plaza Park was nearly lost. A 1980 San Juan Record history says that in 1922 a businessman planned a used auto parts shop on the lot. Residents formed the Fair Oaks Civic Club, raised $1,000 and bought the ground.
The same account tells of residents linking arms in the late 1930s around a great oak at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Entrance to stop county crews from cutting it down. The tree stood until it died in 1965. The park district formed in 1945, and its first board met on December 2 of that year.
What happens in Fair Oaks Village through the year?
Plaza Park hosts the Fair Oaks Fiesta, first held in 1928 and revived in 1947. It also hosts the autumn Chicken Festival, which the park district dates to 2006. The festival honors the feral chickens that roam the Village.
The Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre opened in 1971 after the park board budgeted $7,000 for it in 1969. The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, founded in 1982, performs there each summer. Village Park, at 7997 California Avenue, has a bandshell, a playground and an arts and crafts building. It hosts summer Concerts in the Park.
A time capsule from the 1995 Fair Oaks centennial is buried west of the amphitheater, set to be opened in 2095. Abridged reported in May 2026 that Old Soul Co. had moved into the renovated Village and that a new spot called The Roost had opened, alongside long-running Stockman's Bar.
What kind of homes are in and around Fair Oaks Village?
Homes around Fair Oaks Village sit under the 2006 preservation area. The ordinance applies to properties zoned RD-5 and lists 94 parcels by Assessor's Parcel Number. Its findings describe uncongested streets, dense trees and wildlife. They call the area semi-rural and mostly single-family.
The Fair Oaks Village rules are specific:
- Existing streets stay without curbs, gutters, sidewalks or street lights where possible.
- New lots must be at least 8,712 square feet, one-fifth of an acre. Existing smaller lots are not made nonconforming.
- Lot coverage tops out at 40% for a one-story home on a lot under a quarter acre, 33% for a two-story home on that lot, and 25% on lots of a quarter acre or more.
- Homes are capped at 36 feet tall.
A home damaged or destroyed may be rebuilt to its prior size and footprint if it was built with valid permits. A 2021 county memo notes that state ADU law overrides any stricter local rule here.
What does building in the Fair Oaks Village core involve?
The county adopted the Fair Oaks Village Special Planning Area in February 1979 and amended it in December 2012. It allows building on vacant parcels and remodeling, and it regulates signs and grading so new work fits the Village. It does not require any one architectural style.
Plans for additions get design review. A 2022 county design review agenda notes that projects in the Fair Oaks Village SPA involving grading or tree removal go to the Planning Commission. Anyone buying a Village commercial building should budget time for that review.
How do you get around Fair Oaks Village?
Fair Oaks Boulevard runs along the north side of Fair Oaks Village. Bridge Street drops south to the Fair Oaks Bridge and the American River Parkway trail, so riders on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail can climb straight up into the Village.
Narrow, winding streets come with Fair Oaks Village. The park district's master plan lists them among the Village's unique features, and the preservation area keeps streets without curbs or sidewalks where possible.
What should buyers and sellers in Fair Oaks Village know?
MetroList closed sales for September 2026 put the median price per square foot in ZIP 95628 at $302, across 28 sales. That is a number for all of Fair Oaks, not the Village. A home here is priced from nearby sales and from what the lot rules allow.
Buyers planning an addition near Fair Oaks Village should check lot coverage first, since the cap drops to 25% on larger lots. See buying a home in Fair Oaks for how we check a parcel before you write.
Sellers can show buyers what the rules mean in plain numbers: coverage, height and whether the lot can be split. Surroundings gathers that before the home lists. Read selling your home in Fair Oaks for the plan.
If you are exploring nearby, see the Fair Oaks Bluffs below the Village, or Phoenix Park in east Fair Oaks. The Fair Oaks area guide covers the rest. When you are ready, talk with Maggie about Fair Oaks Village.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fair Oaks Village?
Fair Oaks Village is the old town center of Fair Oaks, along Fair Oaks Boulevard and Bridge Street above the American River. It holds Plaza Park, Village Park, the Community Clubhouse and the Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre.
Are there building rules in Fair Oaks Village?
Yes. The 1979 Fair Oaks Village Special Planning Area governs the commercial core, and the 2006 Neighborhood Preservation Area covers 94 nearby residential parcels with lot size, lot coverage and height limits.
What is the minimum lot size in the Fair Oaks Village preservation area?
New lots must be at least 8,712 square feet, one-fifth of an acre. Existing smaller lots are not made nonconforming by the rule.
Can I build an ADU in Fair Oaks Village?
Usually, an ADU is allowed under state ADU law. A 2021 Sacramento County memo says preservation area rules stricter than state ADU law do not apply, and county ADU standards govern instead.
Why are there chickens in Fair Oaks Village?
Feral chickens have roamed the Village for years, and the community leaned into it. The park district dates the Fair Oaks Chicken Festival in Plaza Park to 2006.
How old is the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse?
The Clubhouse building went up in 1902 on land Frederick Cox donated in 1901. A 1930s Works Progress Administration renovation reduced it to one story.
What do homes cost near Fair Oaks Village?
No published figure covers the Village alone. MetroList closed sales for September 2026 put the median price per square foot in ZIP 95628 at $302, across all of Fair Oaks.
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