Stanford Faces Growth Restrictions

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Nestled at the base of oak-studded foothills, Stanford University attracts some of the country's brightest minds to a place where the high-tech firms that drive Silicon Valley are mere minutes from hiking and horseback riding.

But the future of those foothills is unclear.

The university has reluctantly agreed to protect them for the next 25 years, while a Santa Clara County supervisor wants them to remain undeveloped for the next 99 years. Environmentalists, meanwhile, are demanding permanent protection of 1,000 acres of serene grassland, home to the threatened tiger salamander.

Stanford officials worry that if the campus cannot expand, some of the university's 14,000 students and 1,640 faculty will be priced out of the area. Although university officials say they have no plans to build on the surrounding hillsides, the current housing crunch adds pressure to expand.

In nearby Palo Alto, the average price of a house is almost $460,000. The university wants to build more than 3,000 additional low-cost housing units on campus in the next decade to ease the strain on students and staff.

"We are at a competitive disadvantage with our peer schools - the Dukes, the Northwesterns - because people can't afford the rents here," said Andrew Coe, Stanford's director of community relations.

Stanford's 10-year growth plan includes adding two more stories to two-story graduate student housing and building more housing and academic facilities on open areas within the campus boundaries.

The university, which owns a total of 8,180 acres, proposes protecting up to 1,000 acres for 25 years. Santa Clara County supervisors are reviewing the 10-year plan and will vote on it Monday.

Supervisor Joe Simitian, whose jurisdiction includes the university, said he will oppose the plan unless the university protects 1,000 acres for the 99 years. Stanford has threatened to sue the county if the supervisors opt for the 99-year period.

Other supervisors disagree with Simitian. Chairman Don Gage has said the board and the university can reach other compromises. Supervisors report receiving letters evenly divided in support of the 99-year protection plan and in support of Stanford.

Environmentalists hope for even more stringent restrictions on university growth.

"Stanford's plan will have a tremendous impact on our community. There will be a lot of traffic; there will be noise," said Peter Drekmeier of the Stanford Open Space Alliance. "There are 17 intersections in the surrounding community that will be heavily impacted. You have degradation of air quality. Many people are worried about storm runoff in San Francisquito Creek."