The four vacant lots on the east side of El Camino Real once housed car dealerships stretching from the Stanford Park Hotel to the Menlo Station Shopping Center. But in the last three years the dealers decided to close their doors while continuing to rent the land, a cheaper alternative than continuing to operate. The last dealership, Stanford Lincoln Mercury, closed this summer.
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Stanford is planning to redevelop that side of El Camino Real and wants to control all the property there before moving ahead, which is why the lots could remain vacant six more years.
The university has already bought out the leaseholder for the southernmost lot, where Anderson Chevrolet once operated, and it expects to obtain ownership of the Stanford Lincoln Mercury site this year. The university is still pursuing buyout agreements on the remaining lots, last occupied by a Buick General Motors dealership anda Ford Motors dealership.