Dear colleagues,

The Stanford Redwood City (SRWC) campus opened in 2019 with the intention of creating a warm and vibrant workplace for our employees. Since then, the pandemic and the adoption of distributed work have dramatically changed how and where we work. As hybrid work schedules have stabilized and continue to be a workplace norm, building occupancy averages 18 percent, rising to about 30 percent on our busiest days.

To ensure we are good stewards of our resources, university leadership has approved an updated facilities plan and has asked Land, Buildings, and Real Estate (LBRE) to implement it. The university plans to repurpose Cardinal Hall and 575/585 Broadway, including exploration of this location as a potential site for a new Stanford Medicine cancer center. The plan also entails optimizing our other SRWC buildings to continue to provide our departments the space needed to support their work and the university’s mission. 

With that in mind, here's an overview of the facility changes planned for the next nine to 12 months:    

We recognize that many of you are still adjusting to recent workforce changes in your departments. We know this period has been difficult, and we appreciate the professionalism and support you’ve shown one another while keeping our operations moving. Our goal is to create an environment that brings colleagues closer together, strengthens collaboration and synergy across SRWC, and creates a more sustainable campus footprint that supports Stanford’s mission. 

As we look ahead, these transitions will require flexibility and some new ways of working. We will work with teams to provide the clarity and resources necessary to support the transition. We also view this as a time to rebuild connections, simplify processes, and revitalize our workplace. 

The physical workspace and campus amenities are an important part of your employee experience, and we're committed to preserving them. There are no changes to the cafe, recreation center, and conference center at this time.

Next steps 

A Steering Committee has been formed to develop a relocation plan in collaboration with department stakeholders. As with any project, timelines are subject to change, but here are a few milestones we are working toward:

For additional information about the relocation project, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions. 

As we navigate the transition together, we want to hear from you. If you have questions you’d like to share with the project team, please submit a Stanford Redwood City Transition Project Feedback Form.

Thank you for your continued dedication and contributions to Stanford and to our workplace community.

Sincerely,

Stanford Redwood City Executive Committee

Bob Reidy, Vice President for Land, Buildings & Real Estate

Craig Carnaroli, Sr. Vice President of Finance and Administration

Randy Livingston, Vice President for Business Affairs

Martin Shell, Vice President and Chief External Relations Officer

Elizabeth Zacharias, Vice President for Human Resources