Destination: SOBA - The Future of Burlingame
About 200 people turned out for Burlingame's all-day downtown design charrette on Saturday, September 30, which ran from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Burlingame Recreation Center. The event was hosted by the City of Burlingame and the San Mateo County chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Members of the public can view the sketches created during the charrette at the Burlingame City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 3, which begins at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
There were 63 architects, associate architects, student architects and landscape designers, about 20 city officials and the rest were members of the public. Working on four teams, they created design concepts for revitalizing the area around Howard Avenue in downtown Burlingame between El Camino Real and California Drive, including connections to the bustling Burlingame Avenue shopping area one block north.
The professionals brainstormed with the public and with one another for most of the morning. As the day went on, the room became quieter as they quickly sketched out their visions and, at the end of the afternoon, affixed them to large display boards to present to the group between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Among the visions the architects created for the South of Burlingame Avenue area were:
Turning Howard Avenue into an arts district with lots of public art and a performing arts center on Howard, complete with rehearsal studios, rooftop garden concert area and vibrant shops at the street level
Adding a mid-block cinema and public plaza that also supports community performances, with retail frontage on all sides
Creating a green "ribbon" with pedestrian paths running between blocks from El Camino to California Drive
Exposing the underground creek and creating a creekside pathway
Transforming Hatch Lane (now a back alley used by delivery trucks and overflowing with garbage cans) into a paved pedestrian walkway with cafe tables and flowers and the power lines underground, much like Maiden Lane
Opening up the windows on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple, which has a lovely top facade
Changing the name of Howard Avenue to Howard Boulevard to give it a greater sense of place
Creating green spaces and a playground around the historic bus depot and adjacent "miniblocks." One proposal envisioned a "Bowtie Park" fashioned from the triangle around the bus depot and the one nearby in front of the train station.
Eliminating street parking on Howard, adding a landscaped median with "nodes" of public art and transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly walkway
Adding attractive gateways on both ends of Howard Avenue
Relocating the Victorian houses on Howard in an "Heritage Square" with other quaint buildings and walkways designed for wandering (with the flavor of Carmel)
Building little shops at the ground level and townhouses above them, to create housing near transit
Organizing the random parking lots into more intuitive central parking areas that link to Howard and include underground parking, as well as buildings above them, so that "seas" of parking do not greet the eye
Adding a children's museum
Remodeling facades with more detail, to create interest and add Old World flavor
Going forward, Burlingame will refer to these ideas as stakeholders collectively shape a new specific area plan for all of downtown, from Oak Grove Avenue to Peninsula Avenue, between El Camino and California Drive. The process will begin in early 2007 and take three full years to complete.
About 200 people turned out for Burlingame's all-day downtown design charrette on Saturday, September 30, which ran from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Burlingame Recreation Center. The event was hosted by the City of Burlingame and the San Mateo County chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Members of the public can view the sketches created during the charrette at the Burlingame City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 3, which begins at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
There were 63 architects, associate architects, student architects and landscape designers, about 20 city officials and the rest were members of the public. Working on four teams, they created design concepts for revitalizing the area around Howard Avenue in downtown Burlingame between El Camino Real and California Drive, including connections to the bustling Burlingame Avenue shopping area one block north.
The professionals brainstormed with the public and with one another for most of the morning. As the day went on, the room became quieter as they quickly sketched out their visions and, at the end of the afternoon, affixed them to large display boards to present to the group between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Among the visions the architects created for the South of Burlingame Avenue area were:
Turning Howard Avenue into an arts district with lots of public art and a performing arts center on Howard, complete with rehearsal studios, rooftop garden concert area and vibrant shops at the street level
Adding a mid-block cinema and public plaza that also supports community performances, with retail frontage on all sides
Creating a green "ribbon" with pedestrian paths running between blocks from El Camino to California Drive
Exposing the underground creek and creating a creekside pathway
Transforming Hatch Lane (now a back alley used by delivery trucks and overflowing with garbage cans) into a paved pedestrian walkway with cafe tables and flowers and the power lines underground, much like Maiden Lane
Opening up the windows on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple, which has a lovely top facade
Changing the name of Howard Avenue to Howard Boulevard to give it a greater sense of place
Creating green spaces and a playground around the historic bus depot and adjacent "miniblocks." One proposal envisioned a "Bowtie Park" fashioned from the triangle around the bus depot and the one nearby in front of the train station.
Eliminating street parking on Howard, adding a landscaped median with "nodes" of public art and transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly walkway
Adding attractive gateways on both ends of Howard Avenue
Relocating the Victorian houses on Howard in an "Heritage Square" with other quaint buildings and walkways designed for wandering (with the flavor of Carmel)
Building little shops at the ground level and townhouses above them, to create housing near transit
Organizing the random parking lots into more intuitive central parking areas that link to Howard and include underground parking, as well as buildings above them, so that "seas" of parking do not greet the eye
Adding a children's museum
Remodeling facades with more detail, to create interest and add Old World flavor
Going forward, Burlingame will refer to these ideas as stakeholders collectively shape a new specific area plan for all of downtown, from Oak Grove Avenue to Peninsula Avenue, between El Camino and California Drive. The process will begin in early 2007 and take three full years to complete.
- Written by Jen
Comments