Ensuring Responsible Development of Stanford’s Land

Status: Advocacy Impact
Location: Hillsides and Grasslands
Year: 1999-2000

In the late 1990’s, alarmed by Stanford’s continual development plans on the open space in the foothills, CGF and other groups including Stanford Open Space Alliance pushed for a new General Use Permit for Stanford’s development that would place limits on how far and fast Stanford could grow. CGF successfully advocated for the inclusion of a Community Plan in the Permit, that would define policies for land use, housing, circulation, conservation, open space, noise and safety. In 2000, the GUP was approved, and for the first time Stanford was placed under significant development limits, including an Academic Growth Boundary requiring development to be concentrated in the core campus, not sprawling out into the foothills.

For information on the 2018 GUP process, please see Stanford General use Permit.