Stanford's New Hospital Garners Key Vote

Correction: An earlier headline stated that the hospital plan was headed to council for final approval. The Planning Commission must first take further action, however.

After four years of public vetting, Stanford’s new seismically upgraded hospital proposal took one monumental step closer toward final approval, with Palo Alto’s Planning Commission voting 4-2 to certify the hospital’s environmental impact review.

Palo Alto will receive approximately $43.6 million from Stanford to neutralize any potential costs the project might incur for the city. The city has broad discretion to use the money to improve sustainability and neighborhood “quality of life.” Stanford estimates the new hospital would bring in $174.76 million in value to the city.

The project would take 20 years to complete and net an increase of 1.3 million square feet of hospital, clinic and office space. Stanford would demolish the existing and Clinics and construct, renovate and expand , reconstruct the school of medicine and build new medical office buildings and parking structures.

Commissioners liked the idea that the project would retain the historical exterior art-deco style of the Hoover Pavilion, which was constructed as the Palo Alto Hospital in the 1930s, while renovating and upgrading the interior facilities.

Hospital beds would increase from 456 to 600 beds under the new project. On 701 and 703 Welch Road, would be replaced with 521,000 square feet of new surgical operating suites.

Palo Alto would also annex .65 of an acre of Santa Clara county property for Stanford to build a new medical school.

In addition to the intrinsic benefits of having a “world-class,” seismically upgraded hospital, 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.

Specifically, Palo Alto would receive $23.06 million, which the city could use for “sustainable neighborhood and community development and affordable housing programs,” Emsley said. Stanford will also give the city $12 million for the city to use as it pleases to create a “sustainable community.”

The city could use this money to engage in a broad range of community projects, such as building housing and sustainable communities, and creating neighborhood development that “would maintain the community as desirable,” Emsley said.

The city would receive $3.35 million to “enhance pedestrian and bicycle connections” along El Camino Real.

Stanford would also provide Caltrain Go Passes to all its hospital employees, which Stanford projects would mitigate transportation costs of $90 million over 51 years. Stanford will add four new Marguerite shuttles to and from Caltrain, according the city’s staff report.

“We are very excited to say we have a very progressive and aggressive package of assets and resources that will enable the city to continue to enhance and provide the kind of amenities that contribute to our quality of life,” Emsley said.

Commissioner Eduardo Martinez agreed Palo Alto would benefit greatly from the new hospital. “We are receiving far more good than we are losing in terms of the hospital that has to be torn down,” Martinez said.

Barabara Newton, a Menlo Park resident, told the planning commission that Palo Alto’s neighboring cities such as Atherton and East Palo Alto stand to benefit from the new hospital. “We all want a seismically safe structure,” she said. “We all want an updated structure. We all want an expanded and improved emergency room.”

Karen, a Palo Alto resident, said the new hospital would have an expanded emergency room, which would cut down on lengthy wait times. “We will all benefit from a hospital that doesn’t have a 15-hour-wait emergency room,” she said.

The Planning Commission also voted to continue  discussion and take action May 18 on the remaining three items on rezoning issues, development rights and annexation of new land. Commissioner Samir Tuma was absent.