| The Palo Alto History Project |
| The Sand Hill Road Extension Sand Hill Road |
| 2006 |
| The Sand Hill Road Extension: A Major-League Project The $342 million Sand Hill Road Project and its seemingly endless political tangents occupied a place in the Palo Alto political spotlight for nearly 3 decades. And in the mid-90s when Stanford put on a full-court press to get the city’s go-ahead on the project once and for all --- concerns over traffic congestion, open space development, relations with Menlo Park, the fate of native creek species and even the hidden artifacts of the Ohlone Muwekma Indians created a hailstorm of criticism and controversy. In the end Stanford got its way, but only after a pricey public relations war and a feisty political campaign. The distance between the intersection of Arboretum and Sand Hill roads and El Camino Real is only 0.44 miles, but it has been without any doubt, the most politicized piece of real estate in the city's history. Four times Stanford attempted to connect Sand Hill Road to El Camino Real---in ’75, ’78, ’83, and ’92-’98, but was blocked by courts who were weary of the Environmental Impact Reports and Palo Alto voters who feared over-growth. While it was undoubtedly awkward to have Sand Hill Road (a techie central artery) dead end in the Stanford Shopping Center parking lot, the seemingly logical connection to El Camino Real raised issues a lot more controversy than just the construction of a half mile strip of pavement. In fact, in the final round of the Sand Hill Project debate, the actual road connection itself was the one point of agreement. Here are the issues that were not so cozy: Open Space: The most controversial aspect of the plan was Stanford’s eventually-realized desire to build 628 units of housing for faculty and staff and 500 units of senior housing on a 47 acre plot of land next to San Francisquito Creek. The land was dubbed Stanford West by supporters of the project and Ohlone Field by nay-sayers. Opponents argued that the field was the last remaining creekside meadow in the Midpeninsula and should be preserved. They also claimed that the inevitable urban pollutants of traffic, construction, and housing would endanger the red-tail hawks, American kestrels, steelhead trout, red-legged frogs, and great blue herons who called the field and creek home. Stanford argued that the site was zoned for housing and they had been paying taxes on it for years in preparation of the project. Aside from endangered species concerns, Sand Hill opponents were disturbed that the field (and the already occupied land around it) were once home to Ohlone Indian villages. Occasionally, (as in 1998) Ohlone artifacts were discovered in the vicinity and some feared it would cover more potential treasure sites. While Stanford’s Ohlone expert, Laura Jones, continually insisted that “the likelihood of them hitting anything significant is close to zero,” Sand Hill opponents were not convinced. "The creek is really not just the creek. It is the meadow," said Sand Hill opponent Debbie Mytels. “By building on it, "it destroys something in our human nature.” Traffic: Opponents claimed that the Sand Hill extension would create a traffic bottle-neck and lead to over- development of the Sand Hill corridor. Menlo Park council members and environmentalists were also opposed to some of the side-projects that would be involved in the deal such as the widening Sand Hill north of Arboretum Road, expansion of Quarry Road, and creating a new street behind Nordstrom. Menlo Park Relations The Sand Hill Road Project also had an impact on Menlo Park, the city just north of the land in question. As one Sand Hill opponent put it, “The people in Menlo Park are not stupid. They know that wider roads attract more traffic." Indeed, according to the Sand Hill Environmental Impact Report, five of the seven intersections that would have the largest traffic increases were in Menlo Park. In 1984, Palo Alto residents voted to approve the project, but Menlo Park residents successfully sued to shut down the project. In 1998, however, the state Superior Court threw out Menlo Park’s last ditch effort to halt the project. Shopping Center Expansion As part of the project, Stanford wished to expand the Shopping Center to 160,000 feet from the previous limit of 49,000 feet. Eventually, the Palo Alto City Council convinced them to reduce this to 80,000 square feet, including new parking structures that would extend along Quarry round and some new shopping square footage for the mall. Not surprisingly, such a plan was not a big hit among anti-growth types. The breaking point for the Sand Hill opponents came in 1997, when a city-wide referendum asked the voters to decide once and for all. Stanford’s Measure O had backing from the Palo Alto City Council, many former mayors, and of course, Stanfords big bank account. It was a bruising, expensive, sometimes ugly campaign. In the end, Measure O was approved with 55% support from the Palo Alto electorate, while another anti-Sand Hill measure failed to gain a majority. After clearing a final hurdle of lawsuits from Menlo Park, the Sand Hill Road Project finally became a reality. In 2001, after three decades of lobbying, negotiation, and litigation, the road was finally completed to El Camino Real. Now an ordinary piece of roadway---it is used by thousands of motorists each day unaware of the political battles fought that allow them to make a right hand turn. -Matt Bowling |
| The quiet streets of Stanford West |
| Stanford West from above |
| The map below shows the Northwest Palo Alto area |
| A car fire along Sand Hill Road |
| Further up Sand Hill Road |
| Looking north on Sand Hill Road |
| Palo Alto: Then & Now |
| 2007 |
| circa 1985 |
| Stanford West |
| Sources: Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Times |