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The Redwood City Council approved a resolution Monday that set the wheels in motion for Stanford Health Care to further study adding a new cancer center at its Redwood City campus, which could increase building heights on the campus from 5 stories high to up to 10.
“We will develop the cures for cancer in Redwood City, and those will be deployed across the globe,” said Rick Shumway, the chief operating officer of Stanford Health Care, of the new plan. “We are absolutely thrilled about the possibilities that (this) has, certainly for humanity at large, but definitively for the citizens here of Redwood City.”
The changes would include “bench to bedside” in-house cancer research and treatment facilities, a greater plan boundary and building heights, additional parking, an extended greenway and a central utility plant, according to a city staff report. The proposal would require amendments to the Redwood City General Plan and the Stanford in Redwood City Precise Plan, which govern development at Stanford’s campus in the area.
According to Stanford, 23,704 folks with Redwood City zip codes are receiving care through Stanford Health Care, which is just over a third of Redwood City’s population. Around 3,000 of them are cancer patients who have had to travel outside of Redwood City for treatment, which was cited by Shumway as evidence for the need for such a center.
The Redwood City Council approved the Stanford in Redwood City Precise Plan and a development agreement with Stanford in 2013 for a 48-acre area that has since transitioned from industrial uses to research and development, educational, administrative and medical office uses, the staff report states. The plan also allowed expanded campus development, a new street grid and related amenities.
“The proposal we’re now bringing forward presents an opportunity to really evolve that vision in a way that meets not only the essential requirements of the modern cancer hospital but also the needs of the community,” said Molly Swenson, the director of Land Use and Licensing for Stanford Health Care, in reflection of the decades-old Stanford in Redwood City Precise Plan.
While the city previously approved Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Stanford in Redwood City Precise Plan, Stanford is now seeking to modify previously entitled development on Blocks C and E, as well as future planned development on Block D, according to the staff report. The proposal includes increasing building heights from five stories to up to 10 on Blocks C, D, G and E; replacing existing development with a primary hospital building and two new medical research and clinic buildings; increasing development devoted to hospital uses; and adding three new parking garages across the campus.
“By placing research within immediate proximity to clinical functions, we’ve strengthened the bench-to-bedside connection,” Swenson added, “bringing discoveries more quickly into patient care, especially for cancer.”
In the last decade, Stanford has doubled the size of its cancer program, said Shumway. This proposed center is estimated to add up to 200 clinic rooms and 320 inpatient beds to Stanford’s campus in Redwood City, helping match Stanford’s expanded focus on cancer with more treatment options.
Council member Diane Howard, as a medical professional, said she has “firsthand knowledge of the needs of patients and families” and emphasized the importance of offering overnight accommodation. She’d also like to see consideration of sea level rise and flooding.
Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin asked Stanford to look into establishing the facility with net-zero emissions, which Stanford said hadn’t been considered because of the energy demands typically associated with hospital equipment. Nonetheless, they are open to exploring net-zero as an option.
The plan would transform the central energy hub on Stanford’s campus in Redwood City into a central utility plant, which, Stanford said, would not be coal-powered. However, the source of energy is currently under study.
Community engagement was central not only to the message Stanford’s project team conveyed to the council, but also among council members regarding the project.
Lucy Wicks, a government affairs representative with Stanford Health Care, noted Stanford’s commitment to being a “good neighbor,” in hosting open houses in English and Spanish, conducting door-to-door outreach, mailing thousands of postcards to neighbors, launching an informational website and organizing a community advisory group to field feedback about the project.
Members of the public who offered comment at the City Council meeting included Mike Morris, who said he lives about half a mile from the project and that it would gum up Woodside Road, U.S. 101, Broadway and other streets that are already gridlocked.
“I’m all for curing cancer,” Morris said. “This project is just too big for a small, compressed area.”
Council members Isabella Chu, Chris Sturken and Jeff Gee recused themselves from participating in the vote and discussion. Chu and Sturken said they both work for Stanford University, and Chu lives within 500 feet of the project. Gee said his affiliated company, Swinerton Builders, works with Stanford entities.
Monday’s vote would allow Stanford to begin further study of the proposal, but it does not amount to project approval.
The next step is for Stanford to submit the project details and scope, which could happen in the next few months, said Ryan Kuchenig, the city’s principal planner. Later this year, into early 2027, Stanford is expected to submit a formal application to the city, including general plan and precise plan amendments, and start environmental and project reviews.
Final action by the City Council is not expected until as early as the end of 2028, with community engagement intended throughout the process.
