Mercury News
October 19, 2006

Judge rules for Stanford in dispute over trail plan

By Sandra Gonzales

A Santa Clara County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an environmental group over a recreational trail Stanford University wants to build.

Superior Court Judge Leslie Nichols issued the order Oct. 12 in favor of Stanford and Santa Clara County, ruling on procedural grounds against the Committee for Green Foothills, which is considering an appeal.

The suit, filed in June, challenged the county's decision to build a second pathway, known as ``C-1,'' along Alpine Road in San Mateo County. It cited the lack of environmental review in the planning of the 12-foot-wide Alpine trail.

Nichols' order said the committee failed to file its suit within the 30-day period required by law. In December, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors had approved two trails on the eastern and western edges of the campus as part of Stanford's expansion plans.

“Stanford promised to build two trails to make up for the impacts from a massive expansion in campus development,” said Brian Schmidt, the Santa Clara County legislative advocate for the committee. “They pressured Santa Clara County to drop one trail requirement in return for an expanded existing sidewalk along Alpine Road that provides no recreational value, is enormously expensive and would cause environmental damage to hillsides and a local creek.”

Stanford contends that the proposed pathway is actually a trail. “If the matter is appealed, it could take a year or so for it to be considered,” Stanford Director of Government and Community Relations Larry Horton said.

Page last updated September 13, 2010.