“It is essential that the Stanford Hospital Expansion Project take into account the needs of their neighborhood community,” said Lynda Lopez, resident and executive officer for El Concilio of San Mateo County.

Earlier this year, Stanford bought the four buildings formerly housing Internet company Excite@Home with plans to convert them into outpatient clinics by 2007. The company closed in 2001 and has since sat vacant.

In October, the university also announced the purchase of eight nearby buildings in Mid-Point Technology Park on Broadway. Those lands could become a center for biotechnology research.

At a press conference in front of the Excite buildings, Lopez and other leaders called on Stanford to assemble an advisory committee as it establishes itself in the city. The city has little legal weight to force Stanford to comply but Lopez said she’s not willing yet to consider the possibility that they can’t work together.

“I’m not even gonna go there right now,” Lopez said.

Stanford officials were not invited to the Tuesday press conference but Mayor Jeff Ira said he has no reason to believe they don’t want to meet them at the table. In fact, Andrea Smith, senior communications manager for Stanford Hospital, said there is constant discussion with the city and its planners on how the project should be done.

The city stands to lose up to $200,000 in property tax annually because the university is exempt. The project also will siphon off services such as fire and police, leaving leaders to argue that the city deserves a voice in the plan.

Redwood City has never passed community standards on other businesses, Ira said.

However, he hopes a community forum Thursday culls enough input for what residents expect, want and fear from the expansion plan.

Aside from potential impacts to traffic and the environment, Stanford’s record as an employer was always taken to task.

The university pays workers 10 to 16 percent less per hour and charges for parking — a move that might clog nearby residential streets with cars, said Christine Walters, resident and SEIU Local 715 North vice president.

If Stanford isn’t a good employer it is less likely to be a good neighbor, she said.

Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, agreed, pointing out that the project is not just about the health of patients and employees but of the greater community.

Stanford’s Smith said the hospital is currently in negotiations with the union and didn’t want to comment on the ongoing discussions.

“We value the organization and the workers it represents and are working on a fair and positive ending,” she said.

The town hall meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Fair Oaks Community Center, Rooms 4, 5, 6, 2600 Middlefield Road, Redwood City.