Guest opinion: Your opinions on Stanford development will help decision-makers

One means of ensuring minimal public objection to new housing projects: zone/code housing to be as maximally self-sufficient in potential as possible. If garages, commercial requirements, and public areas are arranged so that a given resident in a community could *potentially* meet all regular needs within the confines of the project area, then a case could be made that the objections of citizens *outside* that area are somewhat mooted. Given the state of housing crisis the Bay Area and the entire State are experiencing, it might be more effective to proactively shut down NIMBY arguments by zoning communities to be independent villages as much as your current planning expertise will allow.

THANK YOU, Supervisor Simitian, for your stalwart advocacy for community good. If only we did see more resident participation in these monumental decisions that are so quickly shaping our lives on this small Peninsula. Last night's vote by Palo Alto to allow Stanford to max out their development is alarming, and so easily could have gone the other way if there had been more public outcry.

Sure, let us know your opinion so we, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors can ignore you and do what we had already planned to do.

This is a self serving piece to keep Simitian’s name in the press. Whatever Stanford is planning, people who live on the Peninsula will be the last to know.