Stanford University has prevailed, for a now, in a legal challenge over the placement of two future hiking trails, including one along Alpine Road in San Mateo County and Portola Valley.
The Palo Alto-based Committee for Green Foothills (CFG) filed suit against Stanford and Santa Clara County in June, arguing that there was inadequate environmental review of the two trails.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Leslie C. Nichols ruled in favor of the university and Santa Clara County Oct. 12. Judge Nichols ruled that the committee did not file its lawsuit challenging the county’s Dec. 13, 2001, vote within the required 30 days. The lawsuit was filed in June.
CFG’s Legislative Analyst Brian Schmidt said the committee is disappointed by the ruling and is considering filing an appeal.
Mr. Schmidt claims that 180 days, not 30 days, is the window for filing such a lawsuit if the original decision is not reviewed environmentally, which is core of the committee’s legal argument. If there is no review, a lawsuit can be filed up to 180 days after the original decision, and the committee’s lawsuit was filed within that 180-day window, he said.
The university was required to construct two hiking trails into its foothills as a condition of approval of its 2000 general use permit by the county. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve the placement of the two trails, called S1 and C1, on the north and south edges of its foothills. Supervisor Liz Kniss dissented in that vote.
Alpine Road
The committee and others argued strongly against the placement of the C1 trail along Alpine Road.“(Stanford) pressured Santa Clara County to drop a trail requirement in return for an expanded sidewalk along Alpine Road that provides no recreational value, is enormously expensive and would cause environmental damage to hillsides and a local creek,” the committee argued.
“If the matter is appealed, it could take a year or so for it to be considered,” said Larry Horton, Stanford’s director of government and community relations. “The judge’s opinion is very strong and we do not believe an appeal will be successful. It would simply continue to delay trail construction.”
Redwood City attorney sues ‘First Amendment auditors’ after Menlo Park disputeApril 2, 2026 11:31 am
