Planners Vote in New 'Hospital District' For Stanford Project

The Planning and Transportation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night for the creation of a "Hospital District" zone to allow for the expansion of the . 

This key vote for a new zoning district will allow the project to exceed the typical height and size requirements that most new building projects adhere to in the city's Comprehensive Plan. It will expedite the city's approval of the plan for the medical center expansion, which includes 130-foot buildings where the usual height limit is 50 feet.

At the start of the meeting, Commissioner Eduardo Martinez expressed concern for the proposed height of the new hospital. "I don't think that we can really say that the building—that you're not going to be able to see it from downtown," said Martinez, in reference to the current zoning laws.

But Martinez's concern was mitigated by the proposal of the new "HD" zoning district, which would allow for the construction of the 130-foot hospital and which ultimately gained the commission's unanimous approval.

"I think on the whole we have probably the best project we can possibly have at this point in time," Commissioner Arthur Keller said after the final vote, which followed a series of motions and suggested amendments by the commissioners. 

The commission also approved the development plan, in which Palo Alto will receive approximately $43.6 million from Stanford to neutralize any potential costs the project might incur for the city.

Palo Alto can use Stanford’s payments “at its sole discretion” to reduce its carbon footprint and greenhouse gases, and create alternative transportation systems via bicycle facilities, Deputy City Manager Steve Emsley said at . 

Last week, the commission .  

Next up for the project: City Council will review and vote on approving the expansion at its meeting June 6.