Stanford Submits Design Plans For Phase 1 of RWC Campus

Though it's still a long ways from becoming reality, the future of the Stanford in Redwood City project is starting to come into focus.  Nearly 10 years after purchasing the former Mid-Point Technology Park on Broadway, Stanford University has officially submitted design plans to the city for approval.  They will go before the Architectural Advisory Committee this month, before heading to the Planning Commission for review in September.  If approved, phase 1 of construction will break ground in Fall of this year, with completion tentatively slated for 2019.    

According to Stanford's project update, phase 1 of construction will include:

- four office buildings
- a town square and park (open to the public)
- outdoor dining areas and plazas
- a child care center
- a parking garage
- a glass atrium fitness center and its own sustainable central utility plant

The timeline for completion of the rest of the project is unclear, but when it's all said and done, Stanford in Redwood City will feature:

- 35-acre campus
- 1.5 million square feet for offices, medical clinics, and R&D
- 13 total buildings
- 2,400 Stanford employees working on the Redwood City campus after the completion of phase 1 (making it the city's 3rd largest employer)
- 2.4 acres of publicly accessible open space

Stanford in Redwood City, which will be located between Broadway and Bay, Douglas and Second,  will incorporate the same look and feel of the main campus in both the architecture and the public spaces.  In a video posted to the Stanford in Redwood City website, University Architect Dave Lenox says, they "want to evoke that same emotion that people feel coming down Palm Drive walking into the main quad, and just feeling that sense of awe."  Stanford has pledged $15.1 million towards public benefits as a part of the deal, and they also plan to run their Marguerite shuttle (which is free and open to the public) between the two campuses.  Barron, Warrington, and Hurlingame Avenues will all be extended through the site.

Redwood City becoming host to a world-renowned institution such as Stanford feels like a symbolic final piece to the city's transformation - from "Deadwood City", to a bustling hub of business, research, and entertainment.  But this project is quite a bit different from all the others.  Unlike Crossing/900, or the apartments at 201 Marshall - which are in highly visible downtown locations -  Stanford in Redwood City will be peripheral to the city's downtown hub.  Instead of being flanked by restaurants and shops, it will border two densely populated, lower-income communities - North Fair Oaks and Friendly Acres - both of which stand to see property values increase as a direct result of Stanford's arrival, the money they invest into the community, and the real estate investors they attract.  This, of course, is good news for homeowners, and not so good news for the many renters that populate the area (we'll save that conversation for another day).  We'll be keeping an eye on these two communities as the project progresses.