University expands parking and housing options for growing population

Housing and Parking at Stanford, especially for non-student community members, has been criticized as inadequate and in need of a drastic extension. In response, the University is combating the lack of housing and parking with a large number of projects to increase parking spaces and on-campus housing for graduate students, faculty members and commuters. These projects include new housing for first-year MBA students at the Graduate School of Business, a multi-level underground lot beneath Roble Field and new faculty housing on California Avenue.

Graduate School of Business student housing

Undergraduates are not alone in the lack of adequate housing space, as first-year MBA students face similar housing issues. The Graduate School of Business approved the construction of a new residential complex this January. The building will be next to Schwab Residential Center.

• The building will be a 1,400-square-foot complex and will have a similar arrangement to the Schwab Residential Center — with buildings centered around a courtyard.
• Units will have two bathrooms, two bedrooms and a shared kitchen.
• They will be larger than the rooms in the Schwab.
• The building aims to have 200 more beds than Schwab.
• Construction will start in late 2014 and is projected to finish in summer 2016.

New parking space under Roble field

Stanford has made efforts over the year to improve the parking situation for community members and commuters. In February, the Board of Trustees preliminarily approved the construction of a new parking garage underneath Roble field.

• The new garage will be built between the Arrillaga Outdoor Education and Recreation Center and Roble Gym.
• The structure will span four levels and provide 1,006 parking spaces.
• The project will open January 2016.
• It will cost $42 million to build and open.

New off-campus faculty housing

Stanford faculty housing has historically been around Mayfield Avenue, in the area separating Campus Drive and Page Mill Road. However, housing in this area is hard to come by, due to high demand and low supply of houses that are available for rent or purchase. In an effort to combat this problem, the Board of Trustees approved the California Avenue Faculty Homes Project on February.

• The California Avenue Faculty Homes Project will provide 180 new residences for faculty.
• The project will be built in a 17-acre complex, with houses interspersed around the central park, and two four-story condominium buildings in the back towards Page Mill Road.
• Sixty-eight single-family homes will be built. These houses will vary in size from 1,700 to 2,700 square feet. Larger homes will have back yards and smaller homes will have side patios similar to those on the Olmstead Terrace.
• The project also includes 112 condominiums, which will range in size from 1,805 to 1,600 square feet.
• With a total cost of $155 million — a 21 percent increase over the original estimate of $128 million — the project will also include a lap pool, an acre of open space, a fitness center and a community center.
• The housing project is expected to be finished by late 2017.

Contact Nitish Kulkarni at nitishk2@stanford.edu.