Stanford plans to construct 500 affordable housing units for workers, 2,500 additional student beds and 1.8 million square feet of academic space over time. These revisions, among others, are part of Stanford’s application to Santa Clara County for an updated General Use Permit (GUP) filed yesterday.

A GUP is a land use proposal required by the county to ensure that construction addresses county concerns like investments in the community and traffic management. The last general use permit was approved in 2000 and the updated version will last the University for decades if approved. 

The new GUP proposal reflects StanfordNext, the University’s long-term plan, according to StanfordNext Project Executive Whitney McNair. 

“It’s a gradual increase of academic and academic support space at about 1% growth per year,” said McNair.  

The additional student beds will be incorporated gradually and will go primarily towards undergraduate students, she said. As of the current GUP, 2,000 will be for undergraduates, though that number is subject to change. 

In the past, President Jonathan Levin and Provost Jenny Martinez have discussed expanding Stanford’s educational offerings to support more students. “For students, it’s a transformative experience to get to come to Stanford and have the kind of education that brings together these different disciplines. And we’d like to give that opportunity to more students over time,” said Martinez.

The 500 affordable housing units will be built on campus, located on the corner of Quarry Road and El Camino Real across from the Palo Alto Transit Center.

According to McNair, these new housing units would be affordable for the “missing middle,” which typically describes households earning under 150% of the median income for the area. “Stanford naturally discounts its rents from the market, so in our analysis those discounted rents are equivalent to affordable,” said McNair. According to McNair, a significant number of units, approximately 150, would be income-qualified and comply with the county’s zoning rules for the site. 

The application also features measures aimed at improving “the community’s user experience on campus,” including renovations to Frost Amphitheater and Stanford Stadium. 

Beyond campus, the University is committing to establishing a $100 million Community Fund for the surrounding area. Santa Clara County can use this money to meet its needs, including addressing affordable housing issues. 

The application was developed over the course of 18 months through multiple rounds of community outreach, according to the StanfordNext team. 

“The top issue that was raised was about affordable housing and it’s really sort of the regional challenge, and it is also an opportunity for us,” said McNair. 

The StanfordNext team also received feedback from Stanford students in development. They heard that students are looking for more modern housing options. Students also communicated that they want classrooms that “meet the way students learn today” and shift away from the traditional lecture hall, said Martinez . 

In 2019, the University withdrew a previous GUP after county officials expressed concerns about traffic management and suitable investment into local community benefits.

The revised application includes a continued commitment to the County’s rule of No Net New Commute Trips, a rule established in the 2000 GUP to ensure “no additional transportation impact in the commute direction during commute times.” The University will look to make improvements to transit on and surrounding campus to support this including “new roundabouts, road extensions, and transit infrastructure,” according to a StanfordNext fact sheet obtained by The Daily. 

“Stanford’s future and our region’s success are inseparable, and both have been in the forefront as we have developed this plan,” wrote President Jonathan Levin. “StanfordNext seeks to create shared progress by advancing emerging research and transformative education over the coming decades while also helping address housing, transportation, sustainability, and other critical needs in our region.”

Now that the application has been submitted, it will enter a stage of review by the county followed by an environmental impact report. According to the StanfordNext team, these stages are expected to take around 2 years, with an intended Board of Supervisors vote in 2028.