The Stanford University campus in Stanford, Calif. in a file photo. (Ananda Paulas/Bay City News)
Stanford University’s current growth boundary will be maintained for 99 years under a plan approved this week by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors that will also limit the amount of housing the university can build off-campus.
It was the first major update to the Stanford Community Plan since the development plan was established in 2000 and comes amid the county’s effort to establish a new county housing element, which the board passed unanimously Tuesday but still must be certified by state regulators.
The housing element is a state-mandated component of the county’s general plan and is updated every eight years. It outlines the county’s housing needs, goals and strategies for ensuring all residents have access to housing.
The county is trying to find ways to build 3,125 new affordable housing units that were mandated by the state to address a housing emergency that was declared in 2019, rather than the 277 units it had originally anticipated needing as part of the 2023-2031 period.
As part of that effort, the Stanford Community Plan was modified Tuesday to eliminate the university’s ability to pay what are called “in-lieu fees,” which it paid to the county as an alternative to building affordable housing that was required as part of the 2000 plan.
The new plan requires the university to address campus growth by building at least 75 percent of its new housing on campus. The other 25 percent can be maintained in its surrounding land grant areas, which include areas of the city of Palo Alto.
Concerns over university’s housing practices
Some neighbors and elected officials of those communities spoke at the meeting during the public comment period, with some objecting to the university’s practice of acquiring houses in those communities to rent to faculty. As a nonprofit entity, the university is exempt from paying property taxes.
Menlo Park Vice Mayor Cecilia Taylor said during the public comment period that equitable development is possible with careful planning but the neighborhoods around Stanford should not be further impacted by the university’s growth.
“Please require Stanford to fully mitigate the impacts of its development activities on all of our neighboring communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties,” said Taylor.
Neighbors also voiced concerns about traffic congestion and competition for affordable housing in the community.
The new plan seeks to address traffic issues by requiring the university’s growth to be managed without adding new commutes to area streets, including return trips, and enforcing standards related to vehicle miles traveled and peak traffic hours.
Aerial view of a portion of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus in San Jose’s Fruitdale neighborhood. Stanford is eyeing to develop affordable housing units in the area — among other land areas and properties in the county — as part of a new community plan to address campus growth by building more affordable housing units. (Google image)
The new plan also extends the length of the original 25-year growth boundary established in the 2000 plan by 99 years, which will limit the university’s development in the Stanford foothills.
To accommodate the greater number of affordable units required as part of the housing element, the county is looking to develop the Pleasant Hills golf course in east San Jose, as well as the nearby Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Hostetter property, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus in San Jose’s Fruitdale neighborhood, and other smaller sites in the San Jose area.
The housing element and Stanford Community Plan were each approved by a vote of 5-0.
State regulators could either approve the housing element in its current state, or order revisions to be made.
Stanford plan calls for more housing on campus as part of county’s housing strategy
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Stanford University’s current growth boundary will be maintained for 99 years under a plan approved this week by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors that will also limit the amount of housing the university can build off-campus.
It was the first major update to the Stanford Community Plan since the development plan was established in 2000 and comes amid the county’s effort to establish a new county housing element, which the board passed unanimously Tuesday but still must be certified by state regulators.
The housing element is a state-mandated component of the county’s general plan and is updated every eight years. It outlines the county’s housing needs, goals and strategies for ensuring all residents have access to housing.
The county is trying to find ways to build 3,125 new affordable housing units that were mandated by the state to address a housing emergency that was declared in 2019, rather than the 277 units it had originally anticipated needing as part of the 2023-2031 period.
As part of that effort, the Stanford Community Plan was modified Tuesday to eliminate the university’s ability to pay what are called “in-lieu fees,” which it paid to the county as an alternative to building affordable housing that was required as part of the 2000 plan.
The new plan requires the university to address campus growth by building at least 75 percent of its new housing on campus. The other 25 percent can be maintained in its surrounding land grant areas, which include areas of the city of Palo Alto.
Concerns over university’s housing practices
Some neighbors and elected officials of those communities spoke at the meeting during the public comment period, with some objecting to the university’s practice of acquiring houses in those communities to rent to faculty. As a nonprofit entity, the university is exempt from paying property taxes.
Menlo Park Vice Mayor Cecilia Taylor said during the public comment period that equitable development is possible with careful planning but the neighborhoods around Stanford should not be further impacted by the university’s growth.
“Please require Stanford to fully mitigate the impacts of its development activities on all of our neighboring communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties,” said Taylor.
Neighbors also voiced concerns about traffic congestion and competition for affordable housing in the community.
The new plan seeks to address traffic issues by requiring the university’s growth to be managed without adding new commutes to area streets, including return trips, and enforcing standards related to vehicle miles traveled and peak traffic hours.
Aerial view of a portion of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus in San Jose’s Fruitdale neighborhood. Stanford is eyeing to develop affordable housing units in the area — among other land areas and properties in the county — as part of a new community plan to address campus growth by building more affordable housing units. (Google image)
The new plan also extends the length of the original 25-year growth boundary established in the 2000 plan by 99 years, which will limit the university’s development in the Stanford foothills.
To accommodate the greater number of affordable units required as part of the housing element, the county is looking to develop the Pleasant Hills golf course in east San Jose, as well as the nearby Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Hostetter property, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus in San Jose’s Fruitdale neighborhood, and other smaller sites in the San Jose area.
The housing element and Stanford Community Plan were each approved by a vote of 5-0.
State regulators could either approve the housing element in its current state, or order revisions to be made.