General Use Permit & Community Plan

In December 2000, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the Stanford University General Use Permit, which placed many conditions on Stanford’s land use, growth, and development. Stanford agreed to comply with the conditions of the GUP in order to gain the needed approval to further develop Stanford land.

Conditions of approval include the following:

  • The creation of an academic growth boundary to limit the buildable area to the core campus
  • The approval of a sustainable development study before new construction is developed beyond one million gsf
  • The construction of 605 units of housing for each 500,000 gsf of new academic building

One of the conditions of the GUP states that all Stanford development that occurs under this General Use Permit shall be consistent with the Stanford University Community Plan. The Stanford University Community Plan refines the policies of the General Plan as they apply to Stanford lands (over 4,000 acres) within the jurisdictional boundaries of Santa Clara County.

The 1995 Santa Clara County General Plan serves as the principal means of setting goals and overall policy direction for physical development and use of lands within the unincorporated area.

 

 

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