Good news! Planning staff for Santa Clara County have recommended protecting the Stanford Foothills from development for 99 years, and requiring a supermajority vote from the County Supervisors to modify that protection. If the County ultimately approves this, it would extend the current protection from development, which expires in 2025, through the end of the century.

While very encouraging, right now it’s only a staff recommendation. We need to keep the pressure on the County Supervisors to vote for strong protections for the Stanford Foothills. Please sign our petition to tell the Supervisors that you want the foothills protected.

What’s Happening

Stanford University and the County of Santa Clara are in the midst of discussions about how much Stanford should be allowed to grow over the next couple of decades, and what Stanford should be required to do to mitigate the impacts of that growth. Committee for Green Foothills (CGF) has been advocating for stronger protections for the open space in the Stanford Foothills as part of those discussions.

Currently, Stanford’s Academic Growth Boundary (AGB) prohibits development in the Stanford Foothills west of Junipero Serra Boulevard. In order to modify the AGB, 4 of the 5 Supervisors would have to vote in favor. However, this supermajority requirement expires in 2025, and CGF has been urging the County to make the requirement permanent.

County staff’s current recommendation of a 99-year extension of the AGB is very promising. We’ll be working over the next few months to ensure that, at a minimum, the County follows through on this proposal, and if possible gives even greater protection to the Stanford Foothills.

What You Can Do

Sign the petition! We will alert you when this issue comes to a vote before the County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. Thanks for supporting our work to protect the Stanford Foothills!