These observations are welcomed and suggest better outcomes are possible but elusive. The three primary parties..Stanford, County and Palo Alto/Menlo Park should be not willing to move forward without rising above the mundane, mandated mechanics of EIR and vague TDMs.

Better engineering skills and common sense are readily available. The question is who wants to take a higher road. Even if Stanford optimizes its growth, the "non-Stanford" power holders remain in full-throttle job/housing imbalance and lost productivity from congestion. Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, both Palo Alto or Menlo Park have major vacancies in their Transportation Departments and cannot possibly respond to impact of economic success their Councils promote.

One of Parks' phrases caught my eye. "...while Stanford's neighbors are sitting in standstill traffic."

I would have illustrated a key hurdle differently. Palo Alto/Menlo Park Councils and their business communities have standstill TDMs.