Stanford University is developing a portion of University property within Portola Valley. The proposed "Portola Terrace" development project consists of  27 single-family residences for Stanford faculty and 12 workforce housing units that would be available for below market rate rents. Approximately 10.8 acres would be developed and the remainder of the 75-acre site owned by Stanford would be preserved as open space. The proposed development would be clustered on a small portion of the property along Alpine Road, which is the flattest portion of the site.

General Updates

• On Monday, April 27 through Wednesday, April 29 there will be anticipated traffic impacts associated with off-hauling approved tree removal debris. Trucks may be entering and exiting the site at 3530 Alpine Road. The contractor team will actively manage and monitor truck movement and provide traffic control/flagging as needed to ensure safe and efficient traffic movement.

• To report issues related to the project site, please reference the contact information below:
  • Construction Info & Concerns Line: (650) 339-7533
  • Email: portolaterrace@stanford.edu
  • Website: https://portolaterrace.stanford.edu/
  • For dust related complaints: (800) 334-6367
    • Will be addressed within 48 hours

Project Status Overview

On December 5, 2024, the Town Council approved the Portola Terrace Residential Development Project. This approval included certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), adoption of the CEQA Findings and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and approval of the Conditional Use Permit for establishment of a Planned Unit Development, Vesting Tentative Map, Architectural Review, Site Development Permit, State Density Bonus, Affordable Housing Plan, and Affordable Housing Agreement.

The project is now in the post-entitlement phase, which means the applicant (Stanford) will follow the process to receive building permits and associated post-entitlement permits. During this phase, the applicant submits detailed plans and technical information to the Planning & Building Department (Department) to be reviewed by staff and consultants. Each review consists of confirming consistency with the approved project, including compliance with the mitigation measures and conditions of approval adopted by the Town Council. If needed, staff and consultants provide comments to the applicant. The applicant would then revise their plans and information based on the comments and submit them to the Department again. Once their plans and information are approved, then they would receive the appropriate permit.

Planning Entitlements (Approved)

On December 5, 2024, the Town Council approved the Portola Terrace Residential Development Project, which the staff report can be found here. Mitigation measures are set forth in the Final EIR Resolution No. 2955-2024 (beginning on page 51), and the project conditions of approval are included in the Conditional Use Permit Resolution No. 2956-2024 (beginning on page 28).

Post-Entitlement Permits (Under Review)

Following entitlement approval, the project is proceeding through post-entitlement permits, which include building permits, grading permits, demolition permits, encroachment permits, and the Final Map. Five (5) applications were submitted in December 2025 and two (2) were submitted in January of 2026. All permit applications are currently under first-round review by Town staff and consultants. Post-entitlement permit reviews are administrative in nature and are conducted in conformance with the approved Final EIR and Conditional Use Permit. These reviews are not subject to additional public comment. Stanford has submitted detailed plans and information to be reviewed for several different permit applications:

• Demolition Permit (approved - tree removals to stumps and existing on site features)
  • The demolition permit includes review of tree removals, temporary construction fencing, concrete removal, and site structures. Upon approval of this permit, the applicant will be required to install temporary construction fencing and construction staging to the Town’s satisfaction and in compliance with Planning and Building Department requirements.
• Site Development Permits
  • Rough Grading (2^nd submittal received and under review)
  • Residential Development Area Grading and Landscaping (2^nd submittal received and under review)
  • Trails and Fire Maintenance Road Grading – pending fees, to be routed soon for first review (1^st submittal received and comments provided to applicant)
• Building Permits (1^st submittal received and comments provided to applicant)
  • Permits for residential structures
• Final Map (1^st submittal received and comments provided to applicant)
• Encroachment Permit (approved)
  • Public Right of Way Permits along Alpine Road – pending fees, to be routed soon for first review

Trails and Public Access (Under Review)

As part of future construction activities, the portion of the Alpine Trail located within the approved development area may be temporarily closed for safety purposes. Along the Alpine Road frontage, any temporary trail closures or realignments will be determined based on field conditions and safety considerations, in coordination with the Town’s review departments, inspectors, and the designated Trails Committee and Town Council representatives.

Planning Condition 20 of the project approvals anticipates that, where feasible, portions of the existing trail will be realigned following construction to move the trail out of the public right-of-way. Permits related to trail improvements and the fire access road were submitted in January 2026 and are currently under review. This process will require several months of coordination and review between the Town and the applicant team.

Once construction begins, additional short-term trail closures adjacent to the project may occur as needed to support construction sequencing and ensure public safety. Decisions regarding the timing, extent, and duration of any closures along Alpine Road will be guided by Town inspectors and the Trails Committee to maintain safe public access and minimize disruption.

Tree Removals (Approved)

The project approval includes removal of a total of 177 trees, of which 123 are significant trees and 54 are non-significant trees. No further tree removal is allowed without prior approval by the Planning & Building Director as stipulated in the project approval entitlement document. Please refer to Resolution 2956-2024, which contains a comprehensive list of Planning, Public Works/Engineering, Geology, Fire Department, and Vesting Tentative Map conditions. Tree removals are reviewed as part of the demolition permit.

Ecologists from H.T. Harvey & Associates have conducted pre-activity surveys for nesting birds, roosting pallid bats, and dusky-footed woodrats. Information on the surveys conducted, results, recommendations, and resulting actions can be found in the Portola Terrace Tree Removal -Pre-Activity Survey Report.

Biological Resources (Under Review)

The approved Final EIR includes specific mitigation measures addressing red-legged frogs, western pond turtles, dusky-footed wood rats, pallid bats, and nesting birds. For each permit, the applicable mitigation, avoidance, and protection measures will be reviewed and implemented pursuant to consistency and compliance with the Final EIR and Conditional Use Permit. Town staff and consultants are currently reviewing the submitted permit applications to confirm and verify the applicant has implemented the required mitigation measures. At this time, biological experts have not been scheduled, as coordination for several mitigation measures is dependent on permit approvals and includes timing windows that may be as short as 24 hours prior to initial ground-disturbing activities.

All permit applications are being reviewed to ensure compliance with the mitigation measures outlined in the mitigation measures within Resolution 2955-2024 and as outlined in Resolution 2956-2024. Committees are encouraged to direct public inquiries to the Town’s Stanford Project webpage for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

Biological studies and surveys are ongoing, as required for each permit under review. Coordination between the applicant team, staff, and consultants is underway, and applicable mitigation measures from the Final EIR are being implemented based on the scope of work and survey results. 

Get an overview of the Environmental Impact Statement Process.

Final Environmental Impact Report

FEIR Notice of Completion (NOC) 

The Final Environmental Impact Report is available. the FEIR includes response to public comments received on the DEIR and other revisions to the DEIR.  No revisions constitute " significant new information" as defined by CEQA.

Draft Environmental Impact Report

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was prepared for review and comment.  The comment period ran from March 30, 2022 through May 13, 2022. 

Public Comments received can be viewed here.

EIR Scope 

Notice of Preparation

Cover Letter for Notice of Preparation

A Planning Commission public hearing for the draft EIR was held on May 4, 2022, at 7:00. 

The Final Environmental Impact Report is available. the FEIR includes response to public comments received on the DEIR and other revisions to the DEIR.  No revisions constitute " significant new information" as defined by CEQA.

In late 2022, the Town issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to several experienced economic consulting firms with a request to prepare a comprehensive Fiscal Impact Analysis for the proposed project.  The intent of the FIA was to evaluate the proposed project’s fiscal net benefit (if any), total Town general fund costs/expenditures (if any), and general fund fiscal balance (if any) potential utilizing industry standard approaches and methodologies.  Further, the FIA is intended to be a resource document to disclose such information to the community, as well for the Town Council to use in their ultimate decision making on the project. In early 2023 the Town retained the services of Land Econ Group to prepare the FIA.

The final Fiscal Impact Analysis (FIA) can be viewed here. A hard copy of the FIA is also available for viewing at Town Hall and the Town Library.

The public comment period on the DEIR was from March 30 - May 13, 2022.  During the required 45-day review period, the Planning Commission held a public meeting on May 4, 2022 to receive verbal comments.  

The Town Council will be the final decision making Town body for the proposed project. Per State Law, the Town is required to implement California Senate Bill 330 (Housing Crisis Act of 2019). SB330 removes certain restrictions to ensure timely processing of housing projects, including preventing jurisdictions from conducting more than five (5) public meetings.    The proposed Portola Terrace development project is subject to the limitations of SB 330, thus prohibiting the Town from conducting more than five (5) public meetings. The proposed project is still under review and no decision has been made. Public hearing dates have yet to be finalized but are anticipated to begin in fall 2024. The public meetings will be:

• Subdivision Commitee Meeting, October 17, 2024
• Architectural Site Control Committee Meeting, November 4, 2024
• Planning Commission Meeting, November 18, 2024
• Town Council Meeting, December 5, 2024

For more information on the forthcoming public meetings and SB 330, please see the August 2024 Project Update Memo here

Planning Commission May 4, 2022

Agenda Packet

Meeting Recording

Joint meeting of Planning Commission and Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASCC)

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

View  Agenda packet

Architectural & Site Control Commission

Monday, January 25, 2021

Zoom Recording

Planning Commission Study Session

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Zoom Recording

Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Scoping Meeting- Special Planning Commission Meeting

Thursday, January 30, 2020

• Agenda is posted here
• Minutes
• The January 30th meeting was not  on the merits of the project in general. Instead, it was focused on just the scope of the project’s environmental review. Future Commission and Committee meetings later in the process will be scheduled to review the overall project. Residents are invited to attend and participate in all public meetings.

See separate document with a version of this map with more detail     

If you would like to provide comments at any time in the process, please feel free to email us at portolaterrace@portolavalley.net.  Please include “Stanford Portola Terrace Project” in the subject line. Also, please note that written correspondence is typically considered a public record and may be attached to staff reports, which are posted on the Town’s website. 

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