Stanford has asked the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to amend the University’s General Use Permit (GUP) and Community Plan from 2000 to provide more flexibility in planning future campus housing construction, according to the Stanford Report.

The GUP and Community Plan placed conditions on Stanford’s land use, growth and development and outlined the circumstances under which the University could add academic facilities and housing. Under the GUP’s provisions, Stanford was given permission to build 3,018 housing units on campus, divided among faculty and staff, students, postdoctoral scholars and medical residents. All but 581 units have since been constructed. Of the 581 remaining, three are allocated to students, 228 to faculty and 350 to postdoctoral scholars and medical residents.

According to Jean McCown, director of community relations, the University’s housing needs and opportunities have changed since 2000. The University has been able to take advantage of opportunities that were not evident 15 years ago.

“We certainly did our best to project in 2000 what would be the appropriate allotment of housing for different campus groups,” McCown said. “But that forecast 15 years ago has not met the need to accommodate more students on campus.”

The amendment from the University would convert the distinct categories of housing — faculty and staff, students, and postdocs and medical residents — into one category. It would also allow Stanford to allocate the remaining 581 housing units based on current priorities, rather than the priorities from 15 years ago.

According to McCown, the University has held preliminary meetings with Santa Clara County officials and the affected groups on campus to discuss the possible changes in housing allotment.

Contact Josee Smith at jsmith11 ‘at’ stanford.edu.