Stanford Proposes Mixed-Use Complex in Palo Alto

The eight-story plan at 3300 El Camino Real would add 194 apartments and a three-story office building.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Remote Work

Stanford Proposes Mixed-Use Complex in Palo Alto

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Stanford University has proposed an eight-story mixed-use complex at 3300 El Camino Real, including 194 apartments and a three-story office building. The university is seeking streamlined approval under the El Camino Real Focus Area rules the City Council created.

Why it matters

The project responds to Palo Alto's goal of adding 6,086 housing units by 2031 and would be the first to use the new streamlined rules. It also shows how the city's zoning changes are shaping development on university land in Stanford Research Park.

The project includes 419 parking spaces, with 243 serving the residential component and 176 serving the office component. Stanford's application has not yet been approved, and its streamlined approval status is still pending.

The players

Stanford University

Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California, whose research park property is the site of the proposed development.

Palo Alto City Council

The Palo Alto City Council is the governing body that created the El Camino Real Focus Area and approved the zone change for housing at Stanford Research Park.

The details

The site at 3300 El Camino Real currently functions as a parking lot for the local Rivian branch. Stanford is relying on El Camino Real Focus Area provisions, which loosen height and density rules, after the City Council removed the conditional use permit requirement for housing at Stanford Research Park last year.

Last year: The City Council approved the zone change removing the conditional use permit requirement for housing at Stanford Research Park.
Earlier this year: Stanford filed a general use permit application with Santa Clara County.
2031: Target year for the city to add 6,086 housing units.

Remote Work

The complex's 419 parking spaces and 194 apartments reflect how Palo Alto's El Camino Real Focus Area rules are being applied to university land in Stanford Research Park. The Stanford project would be the first to test those streamlined rules on an office-residential site.

Residents seeking apartments in Palo Alto could see 39 units reserved for households earning up to 80% of area median income if the project is approved. The complex's parking and office space would also shape traffic and commuting near Hansen Way.

The takeaway

Stanford's proposal shows how Palo Alto's housing rules are reaching into university research land, with affordable units tied to the citywide housing goal. Readers following local development should watch whether the streamlined approval is granted.