Portola Valley: Will hotel complex spoil scenic corridor? Portola Valley: Will hotel complex spoil scenic corridor? (October 19, 2005)

Increased traffic congestion on Sand Hill Road and the visual impact on the scenic corridor of Interstate 280 are two major concerns recently raised by the Portola Valley Planning Commission with regard to Stanford's proposed hotel and office complex on Sand Hill Road at I-280.

The commission submitted a letter to the city of Menlo Park asking it to deal with these concerns in an environmental impact report on the project.

"The congestion (on Sand Hill Road) can only increase with the project," said Arthur McIntosh, chairman of the Portola Valley Planning Commission, in the August 4 letter to Menlo Park. "The several existing traffic signals on the road add to the delays and the proposed new intersection will further compound the problem."

The project, located in I-280's scenic corridor, "will be an anomaly in this section of the freeway due to the intensity of development," he wrote on behalf of the commission.

"A careful visual portrayal of the proposed development will be needed and should be critiqued against its setting within the scenic corridor," Mr. McIntosh said.

The commission, he said, "asks the question of whether the amount of development is excessive in relation to traffic and intensity of site use."

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