Stanford Open Space Alliance

P.O. Box 19742, Stanford, CA 94309 • (650) 223-3333 • SOS_Alliance@yahoo.com

The Trustees Are Coming

The Stanford Trustees are coming to town on April 10 and 11, and members of the Stanford Open Space Alliance (SOSA) will greet them with a full-page ad in local newspapers.  The ad is an open letter from Stanford alumni to the Trustees, encouraging them to set aside the foothills as permanent open space.   The ad will appear in the Palo Alto Weekly on April 7, the Stanford Daily on April 10, and the Palo Alto Daily News on April 10 and 11.

Stanford’s general use permit (GUP) application is under fire for attempting to rezone 154 acres in the foothills as “core campus.”  The plan would allow 20,000 square feet of development in the area over the next 10 years, and after that, the University would be allowed to develop the area as densely as the rest of campus.

Stanford’s plan also calls for more than 4 million square feet of development on campus over the next 10 years, a 35% increase, or the equivalent of three Stanford Shopping Centers.  Local environmentalists argue that the University should permanently protect the foothills as mitigation for such a massive development agenda.

“One of the biggest concerns shared by members of the Stanford community is stress,” stated Glenna Violette, a 1969 graduate and President of the Stanford Alumni Club.  “Some of the best news for current and future generations would be to know that Stanford is committed to permanent open space protection for walking and enjoying nature to reduce stress.”

“One reason I came to Stanford was that it had a wonderful open feeling and a sense of being surrounded and permeated by natural beauty,” said Lynn Stewart, SOSA’s Alumni Outreach Coordinator.  “Those things are part of what make it such a special place.  Without them, it would be just another urban university.”

“As a graduate student at Stanford, I wandered the hills beyond the Dish, under Highway 280, up to Skyline Boulevard, and on to the Pacific Ocean,” said David Smernoff, a graduate in biology who currently oversees habitat restoration work at the Arastradero Preserve.  “Loss of biodiversity is the most critical ecological issue of our time.  We hope the University will recognize the value of its open space lands and become a more active and willing partner in preserving the native biodiversity right outside its backdoor.”

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY – On Monday morning (April 10) at 9:00am, members of SOSA will gather in front of Memorial Church with four-foot letters that spell out “SAVE THE FOOTHILLS!”  They will attempt to deliver the alumni letter to the Trustees and invite them to join the community for a hike in the foothills that evening at 6:00pm (meet at Junipero Serra Blvd. and Stanford Ave.)

- END -