HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 15018 (2)
City of Palo Alto (ID # 15018)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Study Session Meeting Date: 12/5/2022
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Stanford Community Plan
Title: Study Session to Receive an Update on the Santa Clara County’s Effort
to Update the Stanford Community Plan.
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Recommendation:
Staff recommends that Council conduct a study session to receive an update on the County’s
effort to update the Stanford Community Plan.
Background:
Santa Clara County has been preparing an update to the Stanford Community Plan (SCP). The
SCP is a component of the County’s General Plan and applies to Stanford University lands in
unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. The SCP sets forth goals, policies and programs to
guide development within these areas; the 2000 General Use Permit is a regulatory land use
document that implements the SCP.
There is also a 1985 Land Use Policy Agreement signed by the County, Stanford University and
the City of Palo Alto that sets forth certain policies regarding land use, annexation and
development of Stanford lands in the County. More specifically, the agreement establishes that
academic land uses in unincorporated areas, for which Stanford provides municipal services,
and open space and agricultural land uses held in reserve for academic use, should remain
unincorporated. Non-academic uses should be subject to city (Palo Alto) annexation. The
Stanford Research Park, Stanford Hospital and Stanford Shopping Center are Palo Alto
incorporated areas.
The SCP was last amended in 2015. The County was preparing an amendment with the filing
and subsequent withdrawal of Stanford University’s General Use Permit application. The
County has since proceeded with the SCP amendment, which has been further informed by the
City of Palo Alto Page 2
preparation of three additional studies, including: municipal services;1 childcare;2 and, graduate
student housing affordability studies.3
Having conducted a number of community meetings and study sessions, which staff has
previously provided updates to Council, the County Board of Supervisors is poised to signal its
intent to adopt the SCP on December 13, 2022.
City staff requested, and the County agreed, to have a County representative provide an update
to the City Council on the SCP in advance of the Board of Supervisors action next week. This
study session is in response to that request. No action can be taken by the City Council at the
study session but Councilmember comments and feedback will be summarized by the County
and provided to the Board of Supervisors for consideration at their December meeting.
Additional information is available in the County’s prior staff reports.4
Policy Implications:
The SCP will set forth the goals, policies and programs that will guide development on
unicorporated academic, open space and agricultural lands in Santa Clara County. As a
neighboring juridisction, the City of Palo Alto has a policy interest in how development may
impact housing supply, traffic, parking, access to City parks and potentially other municipal
services.
On September 14, 2022, Mayor Burt sent a letter to County staff highlighting the City’s interest
in housing, circulation, property acquisition in Palo Alto for academic uses and how that
impacts the City’s property tax revenue, and other topics. The letter was previously transmitted
to the City Council and is included with this report as Attachment A.
Resource Impact:
Staff has been monitorring this project and providing updates to the City Council as
appropriate, including scheduling this study session discussion. This work has been absorbed
using existing department resources.
1https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ef397ab7a79e315cd9066ae/t/625de6a8d406c01667f8323c/1650321067
805/3815001_StanfordU_MunicipalSvcsStudy_04.15.2022_draft.pdf
2https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ef397ab7a79e315cd9066ae/t/62867e89dd8254178e016dcb/165298138
7389/Stanford+Childcare+Needs+Assessment+-+FINAL+PUBLIC+REVIEW+DRAFT-+05.18.2022.pdf
3https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ef397ab7a79e315cd9066ae/t/627ee19cf03ad051390ae248/1652482461
809/Draft+Housing+Report+5-12-22.pdf
4 October 18, 2022, Agenda Item 13:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ef397ab7a79e315cd9066ae/t/627ee19cf03ad051390ae248/1652482461
809/Draft+Housing+Report+5-12-22.pdf
City of Palo Alto Page 3
Timeline:
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors have decision-making authority for the SCP and
intend to signal its intent to adopt the plan in December with final approval anticiapted in 2023
pending conclusion of the associated environmental analysis.
Stakeholder Engagement:
The County has held several virtual community meetings last summer to receive public input.
Staff has provided Council updates throughout the plan prepartion process.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Palo Alto Comment Letter (Stanford Community Plan) HLUET 09.15.22 (PDF)
CITY OF PALO ALTO | 250 HAMILTON AVENUE, PALO ALTO, CA. 94301 | 650-329-2100
September 14, 2022
Jacqueline Onciano, Director
Department of Planning and Development
Santa Clara County Planning Office
70 W. Hedding Street
7th Floor, East Wing
San Jose, CA 95110
RE: Stanford Community Plan Update
Dear Ms. Onciano & Staff:
The City of Palo Alto thanks the County for the valuable work that has been put into the Draft
Stanford Community Plan and we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the update. The City
supports this effort as an important next step in planning for the future of the unincorporated Stanford
University lands, and we appreciate the County’s public engagement efforts and opportunities for input
on the issue. This is particularly important to the City given Stanford’s adjacency and impacts on Palo Alto.
In the context of the ‘1985 Land Use Policy Agreement’ between the County, Stanford, and Palo
Alto, we offer the following comments and request additional opportunities for continued engagement
to fully understand the implications of the SCP on Palo Alto. The issues of primary concern to the City,
based on information available at this time, are briefly highlighted below:
A. Housing
1. House students/employees on Stanford-owned properties. We suggest that the University
continue to strive to house all its students and employees on Stanford-owned properties. Given
the very great challenges of meeting Palo Alto’s current RHNA mandate for over 6,000 housing
units in the coming eight-year period, we are concerned by the SCP proposal to allow up to 30%
of Stanford’s housing requirements on Stanford owned lands that are contiguous to the
University. These sites would be primarily in Palo Alto on land (primarily the Stanford Research
Park) that the city is seeking to be used for housing for those who work in the City. In addition,
Stanford should be required to evaluate other properties within its academic growth boundary
for housing.
2. Build housing before academic buildings. We encourage policy that builds housing first then
allows academic development.
3. County’s Housing Opportunity Sites on Stanford Lands. The County’s Draft Housing Element
identifies three housing opportunity sites with potential for between 1,680 and 2,160 dwelling
units that represents between 53-69% of the total Regional Housing Needs Allocation for the
County.
• This is substantial planned growth adjacent to the City limits, which is only second to the
opportunity sites located adjacent to the City of San Jose. However, in contrast, the
Stanford sites are concentrated in one area, creating the potential for a greater impact
on Palo Alto.
B. Circulation
1. Parking Impacts: Stanford should be required to pay for mitigation of parking impacts which
could include the initiation and operation of necessary Residential Parking Programs (RPP).
2. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program Changes: Palo Alto is greatly impacted
if the Stanford TDM program fails. For Stanford’s TDM to work, it needs to invest in Palo Alto
infrastructure and transit.
• The new Trip Reduction approach in lieu of fair-share intersection payments and the Trip
Credit Methodology needs to be clarified and explained.
• It is not appropriate that Stanford Research Park trips reduced are being used as trip
credits for campus development.
• A better approach would be to target trip reduction activities to non-Stanford employees
without access to TDM programs.
3. In lieu of fair share intersection payments: Expansion, integration, and transparency of the
Marguerite system into the City of Palo Alto neighborhoods, in collaboration with the City,
should be considered or required. Financial support of local transit in lieu of Marguerite
expansion is aa preferred consideration. Moreover, it would be appropriate to provide funds
additional bicycle/pedestrian and vehicular crossings of the Caltrain corridor.
C. 27 University Property and the Caltrain Station: Stanford owns these key parcels, which constitute the
busiest Caltrain station. Stanford’s entities rely on Caltrain as the backbone of its TDM program.
Future planning of this site should be an important consideration in the SCP.
D. Stanford’s shift to Life Sciences: This shift introduces potentially hazardous materials, and its handling
and storage of these materials affects the City’s interest in locating additional housing in and around
the Stanford Research Park.
E. Impacts of Stanford Acquiring Land in Palo Alto: The City has concerns regarding Stanford acquiring
land in Palo Alto and how this affects the City’s property tax revenue when used for ‘academic’
purposes as defined in the 1985 Agreement, including housing for faculty. Palo Alto is concerned with
the prospect of Stanford owned housing within the City being exempt from property taxes despite
additional impacts of those residents on our public schools and city services. Palo Alto seeks full
disclosure by Stanford of University owned properties within the city limits, their status, and a
calculation of tax revenue lost.
We would be happy to meet with you and Supervisor Simitian if such a meeting would help resolve any
of these issues or concerns. If there are any questions regarding the specific SCP update comments
attached, please contact our Planning Director Jonathan Lait at Jonathan.lait@cityofpaloalto.org.
Sincerely,
Mayor Pat Burt
Cc Palo Alto City Council
City Manager Ed Shikada
City Attorney Molly Stump
Jonathan Lait/File