Stanford celebrates the opening of a mixed-use development in Menlo Park
Middle Plaza will provide new housing opportunities, along with retail, dining, and office space, revitalizing a section of El Camino Real close to the Stanford campus.
Attendees enjoying some popcorn at the Middle Plaza community open house. (Image credit: Kelly Kline)
The sights and sounds of a traditional ribbon-cutting event were replaced by the laughter of children playing and neighbors chatting while eating ice cream on a warm day, as Stanford celebrated the opening of the Middle Plaza complex last weekend with a free community open house.
Over 200 people enjoyed family-friendly activities that included a children’s bounce house, face painting, lawn games, music, cotton candy, ice cream tacos, and tours of Stanford’s newest residences.
The event marked the culmination of an 11-year process to design and build Middle Plaza on an underutilized 8.4-acre parcel of land along El Camino Real in Menlo Park between the Stanford Park Hotel and Big 5 Sporting Goods. The result is a mixed-use development that includes 215 one- and two-bedroom apartment homes and approximately 155,000 square feet of retail, dining, and office space. The property also features its namesake half-acre publicly accessible plaza that is designed as a place for the community to gather and interact.
Middle Plaza was made possible by the leadership of the late John Arrillaga, ’60. The longtime Stanford philanthropist and local real estate developer provided generous financial support for the project, actively oversaw construction, and was heavily involved in leasing commercial and office spaces.
The plaza is bordered by the project’s retail building that will house Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry and a new restaurant from local restaurateur Ayesha Thapar, owner of Ettan in Palo Alto. The apartments on the other side of the plaza will primarily serve Stanford faculty, staff, postdocs, and Stanford Health Care employees, with eight Below Market Rate units designated for community members and managed by the City of Menlo Park’s affordable housing program.
The new residences at Middle Plaza. (Image credit: Courtesy Faculty Staff Housing)
“Middle Plaza both supports the academic mission of the university and contributes significantly to the Menlo Park community,” said Steve Elliott, senior managing director for development in Land, Buildings & Real Estate at Stanford. “Providing more opportunities for Stanford affiliates to live near where they work, teach, and conduct research is a priority for the university. And the amenities, tax revenue, and financial support associated with the project are important public benefits for Menlo Park.”
The university will provide up to $5 million to the City of Menlo Park to help build a new underground pedestrian and bicycle rail crossing that will connect Middle Plaza with Burgess Park. Stanford also contributed $1.5 million to the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation as part of the project.
The completion of Middle Plaza brings the university’s housing inventory to over 18,000 units and student beds, including almost 3,800 units for faculty, staff, postdocs, and the community at large. Information about Stanford’s housing portfolio and how it contributes toward meeting regional housing demand can be found here.
More information for Stanford affiliates interested in living at Middle Plaza is available on the website.