Report: How The Stanford Wedge Project Will Impact Portola Valley | News | Almanac Online

Uploaded: Mon, Apr 4, 2022, 11:37 am 9 Time to read: about 6 minutes

Renderings of the Portola Terrace project that's on the Stanford Wedge property. Courtesy Stanford University.

Portola Valley released the much anticipated draft environmental impact report on Wednesday, March 30, for Stanford University's proposed 39-unit housing development often referred to as the "Stanford Wedge."

The project would not result in any significant impacts on the town or site with proper mitigation measures in place, according to the report.

Stanford has proposed building 27 single-family homes and 12 affordable multifamily units (the latter configured as three lots, each with two-story fourplexes), as well as a picnic and play area, and stormwater detention and bioretention treatment facilities, on 7.4 acres of a 75.4-acre parcel at 3530 Alpine Road, according to the 340-page report.

The analysis is prepared by consultants from Lamphier-Gregory, an East Bay-based professional services firm specializing in environmental analysis, urban planning and project management. EIR consultants are hired by the town but the cost of the contract is passed through to the developer, in this case Stanford University.

The consulting group has also worked with local agencies like Menlo School, Menlo College and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, its website states.

Renderings of homes at the Portola Terrace project. Courtesy Stanford University.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

The site of the project has been zoned for residential use since the 1960s, according to Stanford. Stanford submitted a formal application for development in September 2019 and has revised its plans several times.

The single-family home portion of the property would include 13 three-bedroom units, eight four bedroom units and six three-bedroom duet units (two individually occupied homes in one building structure), according to the report.

The single-family homes would be constructed on lots between 3,300 to 4,800 square feet, with private fenced rear yards and attached one-car garages. The duet units would range from approximately 2,200 square feet to 2,500 square feet in size, and each would be two stories high.

For the below-market rate units, at least six of would be set aside for "low-income" households. The parcels would range from approximately 6,200 to 8,300 square feet, and each of the two-story multifamily buildings would contain two studio units (about 475 square feet each), one 1-bedroom unit (about 600 square feet), and one two-bedroom unit (about 975 square feet).

A view of what the Stanford Wedge project would look like from its northern driveway along Alpine Road. Courtesy Stanford University.

The architectural style of the development would be a mix of traditional and modern, according to the report. Simple gable roof forms, two-story bays, and covered entries would be clad in painted cement fiber siding with wood accents, standing seam metal roofs, and large metal-clad wood windows with narrow trim and crisp detailing. Colors would be muted — gray to gray-blue tones.

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

The project includes the removal of the existing horse ranch, Alpine Rock Ranch, and 114 trees on the property.

A view of what the Stanford Wedge project would look like from its southern driveway along Alpine Road. Courtesy Stanford University.

The roughly 68 acres of the property not included in the project is sloped and heavily wooded, and would remain in the university's ownership and preserved as open space through an enforceable covenant.

Within the approximately 68-acre open space hillside area, the project would implement an ongoing vegetation management plan (VMP) to reduce and manage wildfire risk on the property. As a part of these efforts, the project proposes a permanent fire access road, which would be used for vegetation management and fire access. A looped public trail is also proposed on this open space hillside, connecting to the existing Alpine Road Trail along the site's frontage. The existing horse trail along Alpine Road frontage would remain.

All buildings would be set back at least 75 feet from Alpine Road to maintain the Alpine Scenic Corridor, according to the report. All buildings would be set back from the rear property line of existing residences along Westridge Drive by at least 33 feet to give privacy to existing residences.

The project would provide parking in 60 garage and driveway spaces, 24 standard onsite spaces, and five accessible onsite spaces, for a total of 89 vehicle parking spaces.

Renderings of homes at the Portola Terrace project. Courtesy Stanford University.

■ Menlo Park district superintendent to resign his post at year's end

■ Report: How the Stanford Wedge project will impact Portola Valley

■ Four teens arrested for Stanford Shopping Center robbery

■ Crime briefs: Burglaries reported in Woodside, Ladera and Atherton

■ Popular pop-up Little Sky Bakery opens permanent shop in Menlo Park

■ Menlo Park district superintendent to resign his post at year's end

■ Report: How the Stanford Wedge project will impact Portola Valley

Portola Valley residents opposed to the proposed project have considered wildfire risk to be one of their biggest concerns. But, according to the report, the proposed vegetation management activities would substantially lower wildfire risk at the project site. The additional human activity creates a greater likelihood of ignition at the site if not mitigated, the report found, but wildfire risk would still be less than significant with mitigation.

Suggested improvements to Stanford's vegetation plan include:

• Considering thinning the oak woodland canopy cover by less than the 40% proposed. This level of canopy opening can promote growth of understory shrubs and small trees, both of which contribute to tree torching and ember production.

• Considering how to remove over-abundant fuels in riparian forests and creekbeds

Consultants also suggest other ways to reduce fire risk, including annual third-party inspection and certification of defensible space in HOA-property. Stanford's plan includes construction methods for exterior wildfire exposure and the town's home hardening ordinance.

Each single-family home garage would come with one electric vehicle charging station. All the 39 units would be all-electric with no gas connections.

As part of the construction, Stanford will also underground the existing PG&E overhead power line that runs along the Alpine Road.

A map of the Stanford Wedge. Courtesy Stanford University.

Based on modeling of emergency evacuation traffic, the addition of cars leaving from Portola Terrace would not make a statistically significant difference in evacuation times, according to the report.

With proper safety measures put in place, earthquakes will have a less than significant impact, consultants found.

While not considered likely due to the types of soil at the project site, it is possible that previously unidentified cultural and tribal cultural artifacts could be uncovered and disturbed on the project site, according to the report. This impact is less than significant with mitigation such as having an archaeological consultant to observe all project-related ground disturbing activities.

One alternative in the environmental impact report would shift the project a little farther to the south, away from concerned neighbors but into a less flat area requiring more disturbance of the hillside, according to the report.

The fire access road and trails would be developed the same as under the proposed project and a vegetation management plan would be implemented.

The report also reviewed an alternative in which the project is built with just single family homes, each on their own lots, rather than a clustered development including some multifamily homes and duet units. The alternative could take the project down a different development route, and could capitalize on recent changes in state law to add accessory dwelling units.

"This would eliminate the need for a planned unit development approval and more closely follow the adjacent lotting pattern," according to the report. "Consistent with underlying zoning, each lot would be at least 3.5 acres in size, which would total 21 lots that could be developed on the site. Given the larger lot sizes and new state laws promoting accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) construction, 21 additional ADU/JADUs are also assumed for this alternative, bringing the total number of units to 42."

The tradeoff for the alternative is that construction activities would be increased to account for a greater development footprint, including the hillside, and the need for longer driveways to reach the larger, separate lots. With this plan, no trails or fire access road would be developed and no comprehensive vegetation management plan would be implemented.

Written comments on the project can be submitted by email to [email protected] or mailed to Town of Portola Valley, Planning Dept. DEIR – Stanford Wedge Housing Project 765 Portola Rd. Portola Valley, CA 94028. The last day to submit comments is May 13.

Members of the public can also speak about the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) during a May 4 Planning Commission meeting.

Responses to the comments will be included in the final environmental impact report.

All documents about the project, the DEIR, and the online comment page can be found on the town's planning and building projects page.

The development is expected to take about 24 to 30 months to build, and could be completed as soon as spring 2023.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the agency that released the draft EIR. The town of Portola Valley released it, not Stanford University.

Craving a new voice in Peninsula dining?

Follow AlmanacNews.com and The Almanac on Twitter @almanacnews, Facebook and on Instagram @almanacnews for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Uploaded: Mon, Apr 4, 2022, 11:37 am Portola Valley released the much anticipated draft environmental impact report on Wednesday, March 30, for Stanford University's proposed 39-unit housing development often referred to as the "Stanford Wedge." The project would not result in any significant impacts on the town or site with proper mitigation measures in place, according to the report. Stanford has proposed building 27 single-family homes and 12 affordable multifamily units (the latter configured as three lots, each with two-story fourplexes), as well as a picnic and play area, and stormwater detention and bioretention treatment facilities, on 7.4 acres of a 75.4-acre parcel at 3530 Alpine Road, according to the 340-page report. The analysis is prepared by consultants from Lamphier-Gregory, an East Bay-based professional services firm specializing in environmental analysis, urban planning and project management. EIR consultants are hired by the town but the cost of the contract is passed through to the developer, in this case Stanford University. The consulting group has also worked with local agencies like Menlo School, Menlo College and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, its website states. The site of the project has been zoned for residential use since the 1960s, according to Stanford. Stanford submitted a formal application for development in September 2019 and has revised its plans several times. The single-family home portion of the property would include 13 three-bedroom units, eight four bedroom units and six three-bedroom duet units (two individually occupied homes in one building structure), according to the report. The single-family homes would be constructed on lots between 3,300 to 4,800 square feet, with private fenced rear yards and attached one-car garages. The duet units would range from approximately 2,200 square feet to 2,500 square feet in size, and each would be two stories high. For the below-market rate units, at least six of would be set aside for "low-income" households. The parcels would range from approximately 6,200 to 8,300 square feet, and each of the two-story multifamily buildings would contain two studio units (about 475 square feet each), one 1-bedroom unit (about 600 square feet), and one two-bedroom unit (about 975 square feet). The architectural style of the development would be a mix of traditional and modern, according to the report. Simple gable roof forms, two-story bays, and covered entries would be clad in painted cement fiber siding with wood accents, standing seam metal roofs, and large metal-clad wood windows with narrow trim and crisp detailing. Colors would be muted — gray to gray-blue tones. The project includes the removal of the existing horse ranch, Alpine Rock Ranch, and 114 trees on the property. The roughly 68 acres of the property not included in the project is sloped and heavily wooded, and would remain in the university's ownership and preserved as open space through an enforceable covenant. Within the approximately 68-acre open space hillside area, the project would implement an ongoing vegetation management plan (VMP) to reduce and manage wildfire risk on the property. As a part of these efforts, the project proposes a permanent fire access road, which would be used for vegetation management and fire access. A looped public trail is also proposed on this open space hillside, connecting to the existing Alpine Road Trail along the site's frontage. The existing horse trail along Alpine Road frontage would remain. All buildings would be set back at least 75 feet from Alpine Road to maintain the Alpine Scenic Corridor, according to the report. All buildings would be set back from the rear property line of existing residences along Westridge Drive by at least 33 feet to give privacy to existing residences. The project would provide parking in 60 garage and driveway spaces, 24 standard onsite spaces, and five accessible onsite spaces, for a total of 89 vehicle parking spaces. Fire hazards Portola Valley residents opposed to the proposed project have considered wildfire risk to be one of their biggest concerns. But, according to the report, the proposed vegetation management activities would substantially lower wildfire risk at the project site. The additional human activity creates a greater likelihood of ignition at the site if not mitigated, the report found, but wildfire risk would still be less than significant with mitigation. Suggested improvements to Stanford's vegetation plan include: • Considering thinning the oak woodland canopy cover by less than the 40% proposed. This level of canopy opening can promote growth of understory shrubs and small trees, both of which contribute to tree torching and ember production. • Considering how to remove over-abundant fuels in riparian forests and creekbeds Consultants also suggest other ways to reduce fire risk, including annual third-party inspection and certification of defensible space in HOA-property. Stanford's plan includes construction methods for exterior wildfire exposure and the town's home hardening ordinance. Each single-family home garage would come with one electric vehicle charging station. All the 39 units would be all-electric with no gas connections. As part of the construction, Stanford will also underground the existing PG&E overhead power line that runs along the Alpine Road. Evacuations and earthquakes Based on modeling of emergency evacuation traffic, the addition of cars leaving from Portola Terrace would not make a statistically significant difference in evacuation times, according to the report. With proper safety measures put in place, earthquakes will have a less than significant impact, consultants found. Artifacts While not considered likely due to the types of soil at the project site, it is possible that previously unidentified cultural and tribal cultural artifacts could be uncovered and disturbed on the project site, according to the report. This impact is less than significant with mitigation such as having an archaeological consultant to observe all project-related ground disturbing activities. One alternative in the environmental impact report would shift the project a little farther to the south, away from concerned neighbors but into a less flat area requiring more disturbance of the hillside, according to the report. The fire access road and trails would be developed the same as under the proposed project and a vegetation management plan would be implemented. The report also reviewed an alternative in which the project is built with just single family homes, each on their own lots, rather than a clustered development including some multifamily homes and duet units. The alternative could take the project down a different development route, and could capitalize on recent changes in state law to add accessory dwelling units. "This would eliminate the need for a planned unit development approval and more closely follow the adjacent lotting pattern," according to the report. "Consistent with underlying zoning, each lot would be at least 3.5 acres in size, which would total 21 lots that could be developed on the site. Given the larger lot sizes and new state laws promoting accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) construction, 21 additional ADU/JADUs are also assumed for this alternative, bringing the total number of units to 42." The tradeoff for the alternative is that construction activities would be increased to account for a greater development footprint, including the hillside, and the need for longer driveways to reach the larger, separate lots. With this plan, no trails or fire access road would be developed and no comprehensive vegetation management plan would be implemented. Written comments on the project can be submitted by email to [email protected] or mailed to Town of Portola Valley, Planning Dept. DEIR – Stanford Wedge Housing Project 765 Portola Rd. Portola Valley, CA 94028. The last day to submit comments is May 13. Members of the public can also speak about the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) during a May 4 Planning Commission meeting. Responses to the comments will be included in the final environmental impact report. All documents about the project, the DEIR, and the online comment page can be found on the town's planning and building projects page. The development is expected to take about 24 to 30 months to build, and could be completed as soon as spring 2023. Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the agency that released the draft EIR. The town of Portola Valley released it, not Stanford University.