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Redwood City Council members voted 6-0-1 on Monday, Oct. 9, to approve a 10-year extension of the Stanford in Redwood City Project development agreement.
Mayor Jeff Gee recused himself due to a conflict of interest, as his parent company has done business with Stanford Health and Stanford University, both signatories to the agreement.
The development agreement's first term is set to expire on Dec. 3, as noted by a city staff report. Although Stanford has the right to two 10-year extensions, the extension doesn't alter the campus plans.
Some council members expressed concerns regarding Stanford's contributions to Redwood City, emphasizing that, given Stanford's yearly obligation to disburse $1.8 billion to uphold its tax-exempt status and its longstanding mission, the university should consider providing grants in 2024 to support Redwood City's initiatives in youth housing and transportation. Another highlighted the need to explore overnight parking solutions for residents on Stanford's campus, given the parking issues in the dense neighborhood.
The Stanford in Redwood City project, which the council initially approved in 2013, is a 35-acre, phased redevelopment on the larger 48-acre, former Mid-Point Technology Park campus. The campus is intersected by Broadway and is bounded by U.S. Highway 101, Douglas Avenue, Bay Road and Second Avenue. The project includes administrative offices, research and development, and medical clinic space. It would take approximately 30 years to complete.
To meet the agreement's terms, Stanford must obtain building permits for at least 350,000 square feet of net new development.
Stanford has obtained building permits for 293,350 square feet of new development. Stanford has paid to the Neighborhood Streets Enhancement Program, Community Sustainability Fund, and Water Tank contributions that are equal to the total amount Stanford would have paid if it obtained building permits for at least 350,000 square feet of new development. Proportional contributions are allowed under the agreement. Despite its commitments, Stanford fell short of the building permit target of 350,000 square feet by about 56,560 square feet. Stanford has also paid 100% of the required funding, $468,315, for bike-routes improvements such as roadway markings, green bike lanes and sharrows, and to install separated bikeways along Middlefield Road between Woodside Road and Maple Street, staff said.
Stanford is expected to pay $1.5 million in contributions to the Neighborhood Street Enhancement Program by the end of the 30-year term. It previously contributed $774,420, and an obligation to pay the remaining $750,000 won't be triggered until Stanford exceeds 1 million square feet for the site, the staff report noted.
Stanford has paid nearly $1.2 million during the first building phase out of a total of $4 million it will pay over 30 years to the Community Sustainability Fund. The university and hospital paid an additional $297,663 on Oct. 2 to satisfy the terms of the agreement extension.
It paid $448,500 of a total of $1.5 million over 30 years to the Water Tank Improvements Fund. On Oct. 2, Stanford paid $122,463 to satisfy the terms of the development agreement extension.
The agreement also includes other benefits: $5 million for economic development through executive education and entrepreneur training programs for Redwood City residents, businesses and city staff (through the Stanford University Graduate School of Business); $1 million partial funding for a multi-use recreation and wellness center at Red Morton Park; $250,000 toward the summer concert series; $250,000 for the City of Redwood City Educational Foundation; design and improvement of publicly accessible 2.4 acres of private open space adjacent to Spinas Park; $75,000 toward a Broadway roadway streetcar feasibility study, $1 million for stormwater improvements and $1 million for bus shelter improvements.
However, given the three decades of the agreement, project impacts on residents, and the sheer amount of discretionary funding that Stanford has at its disposal, some council members said they hope to discuss taking advantage of more opportunities.
Council member Kaia Eakin said while she supported the agreement extension with Stanford, she thought there should be further conversations regarding benefits the city could receive in the future. She noted that Stanford must give away about $1.8 billion each year to maintain its tax-exempt status.
"Given Stanford's 138-year-old mission to support education and the common good, and given its large and growing presence in Redwood City … it would seem like perhaps Stanford might be interested in using its discretion to give some grants in the calendar year of 2024 to help Redwood City fulfill its vision to serve youth housing and transportation," Eakin said.
Council member Chris Sturken asked whether Stanford had thought of ways to help with overnight parking for residents on its campus, noting that the campus isn't fully occupied and wouldn't be used by employees during the night.
"And there are significant parking impacts in the neighborhood due to the density of the neighborhood and this campus, so I just wanted to see if that's something you've considered," Sturken said.
Stanford representatives said overnight parking was not previously considered. Stanford charges its employees for parking to reduce single-car commutes and traffic and parking issues.
Allowing overnight parking would be a policy that Stanford would have to consider, John Donahoe, senior director of planning and development for Stanford Real Estate, said.
"Well, right now, we close the garage at 6 p.m. We have gates that come down, we have nighttime security. So, we would have to look at those policies in relationship to understanding the merits of this type of request. Unfortunately, most things in life come down to security and liability concerns," Donahoe said.
