Month: February 2009

  • Burlingame’s Walk Score

    I value living so close to downtown (my home has a walk score of 72) and the wonderful amenities of our library, our train stop, our businessess – and even being close to city hall (!) so this article has given me hope for Burlingame's downtown housing options.

    Burlingame eyes Howard Avenue for new housing units (by Christine Morente, San Mateo County Times)
    BURLINGAME Howard Avenue is a "Walker's Paradise," according to Walk Score, a Web site that ranks the walkability of a neighborhood from 0 to 100.
    The street less than a mile from restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, a bookstore, a hardware store, a park, a fitness center and a Safeway was rated 91.
    That's why Howard is perfect for housing, according to the city's draft Housing Element 2009-14 Plan. "It's close to just about everything you need to survive," said Councilwoman Terry Nagel on Friday. "You can live very well there."
    Other areas designated for more housing include California Drive near Auto Row and El Camino Real near the Peninsula Medical Center.
    Cities and counties in California are required to plan for future housing needs and update their housing plans by the end of June.
    The plan is expected to fall on the City Council's lap in late March or early April for review and eventual adoption. Then it would be submitted to the state for certification.
    Because the Association of Bay Area Government projects that Burlingame's population will reach 29,500 by 2015, the plan is to make land available for 650 new housing units by 2014, said Julie Moloney, associate planner at Metropolitan Planning Group.
    The population in 2008 was 28,867.
    The city already has 205 new units in the works. Of those, 21 have been built, while the rest have either approved by the city or are under construction.
    Nagel said it might not be realistic for Burlingame to meet the association's requirements. "We would like to hit those numbers, but it is very difficult, and probably more so in this economy when development is slowing down," she said. "We're trying in Burlingame to make it easier for developers."
    Nagel said the city has enough "big box houses." "We need options for younger families, options for people who want to downsize, and young professionals," she said. "We need different choices for different income levels."
    Burlingame has an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requiring developers to provide 10 percent of their new dwellings at below-market prices to serve moderate-income residents.
    On Monday, the Planning Commission reviewed the draft plan and asked Moloney to tweak the plan and put in policies that would provide incentives to build smaller units and preserve existing rentals before taking it to the City Council.Moloney said the trend in Burlingame had been to demolish rental apartments to build condos.
    In addition to the housing elements plan, the city's Downtown Specific Plan is expected to be adopted this year.
    The document lays out the area's future in terms of land use, parking, streetscapse, open space, infrastructure, and design and character.
    Nagel said she's excited that when the plan is complete, the council can then zero in on its 20 city-owned parking lots, deemed "valuable land" for housing or mixed-use. She said a new state law, Senate Bill 375, will provide incentives for cities and developers to build near transit hubs and get people out of their cars. "This is the teeth that will make it happen," Nagel said. "You won't get your share of transit funding if you don't play by (the state's) rules."

    – Written by Fiona

  • Our Cash Crunch

    Cash crunch may lead to cop sharing (by Heather Murtagh, Daily Journal)
    Sharing police and fire services with Millbrae including the police chief while eliminating the Burlingame Trolley and cutting some employees may all be part of Burlingame's plan to cut $3 million from next year's budget.
    Last month, Burlingame officials cut more than $700,000 in ongoing expenses. Carrying those over in the next fiscal year will save $1 million $2 million short of what's needed to create a balanced budget. Running one less fire truck, reducing library hours at the Easton branch and cutting a number of positions like a police records clerk, a city planner and a maintenance worker are part of the plan to cover the shortfall but not fund capital needs. Covering those costs will require further money-saving alternatives like sharing a police chief with Millbrae. There are so many police departments, so many fire departments, sooner or later, some kind of consolidation will be needed within departments,? Councilman Jerry Deal said.
    The council was open to sharing a police chief with Millbrae, which currently has an interim chief. Not all, however, were open to consolidation of police services.
    Councilwoman Cathy Baylock was reluctant to direct staff to work toward a merger. Instead, she was suggested a trial partnership the option city staff will begin to examine.
    Councilwoman Terry Nagel was interested in extending shared services to include the fire department.
    Talks about cross staffing and a merger down the road are currently being discussed, Chief Don Dornell explained. For example, cuts are forcing one fire truck not to run when three or more personnel are on leave, saving the city $464,000. Dornell is in talks with Millbrae to coordinate these closures to ensure calls are covered in both cities during those closures.
    City employees will also be faced with talks of potentially increasing health care contributions, salary freezes or furloughs as an alternative to losing some positions.
    Many losses led to last night's conversation. When adopted, the city anticipated $44.24 million in revenue, said Finance Director Jesus Nava. The current year-end estimate is at $41.43 million. Both scenarios assumed the $2.24 million beginning fund balance would also be used. Sales tax is estimated to drop 15 percent from last year, or $1 million, said Nava. At the same time, hotel tax growth was only 1.4 percent at mid-year. Nava projects a overall decrease of 10 percent for the remainder of the year and no growth moving forward.
    A growing deficit
    Without cuts, Burlingame faces ending the 2010-11 fiscal year with a $9 million deficit.
    Cuts made in the next year are an important part of creating a balanced budget in future years as well,? he said.
    To make up the nearly $3 million in losses, officials gave the general OK to cutting travel, conferences and training for staff, elected officials and those who hold commission seats. Cutting the Burlingame Trolley would save the city $110,000. Reducing office supplies in most departments will also be considered. Closing the Easton library branch at 2 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. on Fridays will save $11,000. Eliminating a police officer position means a savings of $166,000.
    The council hoped to avoid cutting $35,000 for crossing guards. Mayor Ann Keighran spoke with Burlingame Elementary School District Superintendent Dianne Talarico about the potential of covering part of the program through volunteers. Although it may not work, Keighran wanted to ensure the option was considered.
    There are also $700,000 in additional cuts including reducing operating expenses, downgrading vacant positions, transferring salaries to enterprise funds, re-bidding or delaying some purchases, reducing staffing on one fire truck from four to three, closing the main library two hours early on Friday evenings, eliminating a vacant police officer position beginning in May and eliminating funds for council studies which were approved for the current fiscal year last month. The savings will continue and grow to $1 million in the coming year since it is a full fiscal year.
    Capital improvements not funded
    Those reductions would balance the budget but not leave any money to fund the $3.4 million in capital projects such as sidewalk replacement, an air conditioner at the recreation center or artificial turf at Bayside Park. Public Works Director Syed Murtuza created a list of $1.085 million in projects of high importance: $550,000 for the Martsen storm drainage outfall pipeline; $220,000 for a box culvert at Easton Creek; $100,000 for curb ramps; $70,000 for pedestrian safety improvements on the Broadway Overpass; $5,000 for street trees reforestation; $55,000 for park paths; and $85,000 for an emergency backup and power supply upgrades for the police department data centers.
    The largest portion of the high-priority projects, $770,000, could be funded if the city is successful in its effort to pass an annual storm drain fee.
    The proposed fee which could cost anywhere from $116 to $2,060 but averages $150 per household will go before Burlingame property owners in May in hopes of raising $39 million for capital improvements.
    If it does not pass, a number of alternative cuts were put forward to fund the $1.085 million in critical needs. Of those, a large savings would come from not running one fire truck when three or more personnel are on leave, saving the city $133,164; eliminating a third police officer position; reducing the recreation coordinator to a part-time position; and cutting a tree maintenance worker.
    Alternatives
    The council did not welcome some alternatives like closing the library on Sundays, eliminating the economic development director position and cutting a planner position.
    A number of revenue-generating ideas were also put forward: Increasing fees to fully cover costs for city services; raising class costs by $2 will generate $20,000; extending the recreation building rental hours would generate $6,000; creating a yearly encroachment permit for restaurants with outdoor seating slated to raise $15,000; increasing parking fines which the council already approved could create $250,000; and netting $185,000 from red light tickets from a yet-to-be-installed camera at Broadway and El Camino Real. The city will also consider putting a 2 percent hotel tax increase before voters in November.
    Keighran did not welcome increasing block party permits from $50 to $150 producing $3,000. Her concerns were shared by the council.
    Looking ahead, the council is scheduled to hold another budget study session May 27. A public hearing is planned for June 1. A vote would go before the council June 15.
    ***
    Very informative meeting and important to see that "shared services" were discussed by our council as a way "to share the burden" of city finances.
    Also see Jon Mays' article in the Daily Journal.
    And Christine's article in the San Mateo Times.

    – Written by Fiona

  • Burlingame Child is Missing

    Burlingame child missing for over six months
    By Dana Yates, Daily Journal
    Maxim Yu went missing Aug. 17, 2008, from Ann Arbor, Mich.
    The Burlingame community is rallying to support a mother whose 8-year old son is still missing after his father abducted him late last year.
    Maxim Yu went missing Aug. 17, 2008, from Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was spending the summer with his father, Jason Yu. Instead of delivering his son to his mother at a Detroit airport, Yu took the boy and vanished. The younger Yu was supposed to board a plane back to the Bay Area so he could return to school at Burlingame's Washington Elementary.
    Parents are just now learning of Yu's abduction and spreading e-mail alerts through the community. Everyone is being asked to be on the lookout and forward the information to everyone they know. Yu's last message to his ex-wife said he was planning to leave the country with Maxim, making it impossible for Yuhong Zhou to ever see her son again.
    Zhou is not convinced the two ever made it to another country because Maxim Yu's passport was in court custody at the time of his abduction. She is hoping someone somewhere has information about her son's whereabouts. His birthday was Dec. 8. He turned 8. It was really hard for me. I don't know where he was. I don't know where he is,? said Burlingame resident Zhou.
    Zhou learned of her son's abduction when she stepped off a flight from the Bay Area to Chicago on Aug. 17, 2008. She was to spend an hour in Chicago before connecting to Detroit where she would be reunited with her son. She checked her cell phone voice mail and heard a message from her ex-husband. When he left the message, he said he was taking Maxim out of the country and I would never see him again,? Zhou said. She immediately called police in Ann Arbor to report the incident. She then alerted her attorney in Michigan who went with police to Yu's residence. The FBI later issued an unlawful flight to avoid prosecution warrant for Yu on Sept. 15.
    Washington Elementary School crossing guard and parent Megan Brownlow recently learned of the abduction and forwarded the information to her contacts in the community. The e-mail has spread quickly in Burlingame, but many hope the message can travel further than the borders of Burlingame and somehow find its way to someone who has seen Maxim and Jason Yu.
    I'm heartbroken. I can't even imagine how devastating this must be for [Zhou]. I'd like to believe the Internet can be used for something good,? said Lix Gindraux, Burlingame Elementary School Board trustee.
    Thousands of children are reported missing each day, according to a 2002 study issued by the Department of Justice.
    According to the study, 797,500 children under 18 years old were reported missing in a one-year period, resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day. Of those, 203,900 were victims of family abductions.
    I think sometimes finding them is not difficult, it's getting them back,? said Maureen Heads, manager at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The NCMEC works with parents to get law enforcement immediately involved and helps distribute fliers nationally about missing children. The organization will work with local, state, federal and international law enforcement to ensure laws are followed to bring children home once they are located, Heads said. It's important to make sure parents call us right away,? Heads said. There is an element of family law that works better the sooner a child is reported missing, Heads said.
    Yu, 57, has family in Taiwan but there is no indication he ever visited, said Zhou.
    Maxim Yu was 4 feet 1 inch tall and 50 pounds when he was abducted. He has brown eyes and black hair. Zhou believe that he may be homeschooled by his father.
    I just hope everything is going well for Maxim and he'll be back soon,? Zhou said.
    Anyone with information about Yu should call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST.

    – Written by Fiona

  • Housing Element Update Meeting Tonight

    Review of Housing Element Update
    Planning Commission Public Hearing
    Date: 2/23/2009
    7:00 PM
    City Hall Council Chambers
    501 Primrose Road
    The CITY OF BURLINGAME PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing to consider the Draft 2009 Housing Element Update, an amendment to the General Plan. The Planning Commission will take public comments, review and comment on the Draft Housing Element Update and make a recommendation to the City Council. The Draft Housing Element will then be sent to the State Department of Housing and Community Development for review and certification.
    The staff report for this item and copies of the Draft 2009 Housing Element Update will be posted on the Housing Element Update page of the City's website on Thursday, February 19, 2009. Hard copies will be available on that date at the Community Development Department, Planning Division, Burlingame City Hall, 501 Primrose Road, Burlingame.
    For additional information please call the Planning Division at (650) 558-7250.
    (source: City of Burlingame)or see City website

    – Written by Fiona

  • Burlingame Historical Presents!….

    Castles and Craftsmen
    She worked with Hearst to build his mansion in San Simeon. She worked with families to build their dream homes too. One of the is here in Burlingame on Chapin Lane.
    Architect Julia Morgan is the subject of a presentation by Sally Foster who now accupies the Julia Morgan designed home on Chapin Lane.
    Experience a fascinating presentation that will illuminate the woman behind the castles and the craftsmen.
    Sunday, February 22 (TODAY!!) from 2-4pm in the Lane Community Room at the main branch of the Burlingame Public Library on Primrose Road. Please enter on Bellevue Avenue.
    No Registration is required. Free and open to the public
    http://www.burlingamehistorical.org

    – Written by jean

  • Burlingame Avenue Downtown Merchants Working Together?

    Burlingame business owner eyes reviving Downtown Business Improvement District (by Christine Morente, San Mateo County Times)
    BURLINGAME Business owner Kevin Osborne has an idea that might stir up some controversy he wants to resurrect the Downtown Business Improvement District, a tax that was shot down by local merchants four years ago.
    Osborne, the president of the voluntary Downtown Burlingame Business Association, said the annual assessments are necessary to improve the area's infrastructure and pay for marketing projects.
    "The economy, the way it is, we're not foreseeing dollars in the near future," Osborne said last week. "We have to be creative in how we upgrade our downtown."
    He said a new district would be carried out in a fair and equitable way. He proposes a tiered program: Stores on the ground floor of Burlingame Avenue would be Zone A. Street-level businesses on Lorton Avenue and Park and Primrose roads would be Zone B. Those on the second floor of these side streets Zone C would pay a flat fee of $50 a year.
    Fees for businesses on the Avenue would be based on the square footage, sales or number of employees. He is still working out the fees for zones A and B as well as which zone second-story businesses on the Avenue would belong to. Corporate stores such as the Gap, Apple, J.Crew and Banana Republic also would pay their fair share, he said.
    For now, the Downtown Burlingame Business Association has 120 active members that each pay $50 a year. Ninety percent of its budget comes from the Burlingame Art & Jazz Festival.
    This year, the association contributed $7,500 for the Burlingame Trolley and maintains the planters on Burlingame Avenue.
    One project Osborne would like to see completed under a new business district is a community information sign that would list all the businesses and their locations.
    Osborne, owner of Osborne Insurance Agency, said he believed in the old district but felt the cost was neither reasonable nor equitable. He paid $200 a year, even though his office is on the second floor of Fox Mall on Burlingame Avenue, he said. While Osborne did not have any major objections to the old organization, other merchants felt differently.
    In May 2005, the City Council stopped the collection of fees after 284 business owners protested the assessment, which was paid along with business license fees. The protests included a little more than 53 percent of the district's membership.
    The district officially dissolved a year later, despite a new fee structure that lowered costs for businesses with one to four employees located off the main drag.
    Merchants who were opposed to the district did not like that their money was going to the creation of a Web site and the purchase of holiday and farmers market banners. Also, there was a perceived lack of accountability regarding the district's expenditures.
    Ashok Patel, owner of the Burlingame Smoke Shop on Burlingame Avenue, said the district operated like a "multi-million dollar company," and most of the funds went to the administration.
    Quent Cordair of Quent Cordair Fine Arts and Isabelle de Paz of All that Glitters vehemently opposed the old model; however, neither remains in downtown Burlingame. Cordair moved his gallery to Napa, while de Paz's shop is now on Broadway.
    Osborne said businesses will have a voice if there is a new district. Volunteers within the district would control and decide where the money would go.
    He is working on a proposal to submit to the City Council. If approved, the downtown association would be merged into the district.
    "This is a real tough time to bring (the plan) to businesses," Osborne said. "But we really aren't doing justice to our downtown. "If we had more funds to develop more projects to bring more business and activity, it would do better justice to businesses as a whole," he added.
    Patricia Love, the city's economic development specialist, said a new district would be a good idea for all businesses, despite a difficult economy. "It's real money that you can get so real things can get done," she said Thursday. "It's a great opportunity for the businesses to be a part of something that's bigger than something they can do on their own."
    Patel doesn't see it that way. He has owned a business on Burlingame Avenue since 1987, and said it is a "dead street."
    The most recent casualties include Ann Taylor and Bebe, as well as Babystyle. The clothing chain for infants and toddlers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to its Web site. "Business is bad all around the world," Patel said Thursday. "People don't have the resources to rekindle the BID. Money was mismanaged before and money will be mismanaged again"

    – Written by Fiona

  • Burlingame Storm Drain Fee Clarification

    Burlingame storm drain fee
    Editor,
    Thanks for the great article about the havoc the rain is causing with local drain systems ( Rain letting up, water remains? by Michelle Durand in the Feb. 18 edition of the Daily Journal). I hope people will remember the flooding we're having when it's time to vote for the Burlingame storm drain fee.
    In your stories, you consistently mention that the ballot seeks, between $116 and $2,060 from property owners.? The higher figure is only for a few select properties, primarily commercial ones. It would be more realistic to say, The fee would cost the average homeowner $150 per year.?
    Terry Nagel, Burlingame
    The letter writer is a member of the Burlingame City Council
    (source: Daily Journal)

    – Written by Fiona

  • Safeway Submitting Application Today?

    Members of Safeway Working Group irked by plan for new store (by Christine Morente, San Mateo County Times)
    BURLINGAME Eighteen months of drumming up design options for a new Safeway grocery store on Howard Avenue now seem futile to some stakeholders in the process, who say the conceptual project ignores traffic and safety concerns.
    The location of the store's loading dock and how it will be accessed provoked the most displeasure at a City Council study session Tuesday from members of the Safeway Working Group, a volunteer planning body that has been meeting since 2007.
    The group which consists of citizens, local merchants, a Safeway representative and other interested parties had hoped that the city would agree to put the loading dock on Lot K behind the grocery store, with truck access off El Camino Real, but that idea was nixed during negotiations between the city and Safeway.
    City Manager Jim Nantell said a loading dock in Lot K would "significantly reduce" the real estate value and future use of the site. Instead, the loading area would go along the side of the building off El Camino Real and be accessed from Howard Avenue, according to the company's conceptual plan. That would force traffic onto Howard Avenue and Primrose Road, argued Carl Martin, a representative of the city's downtown business owners.
    Kathy Schmidt, who represents neighborhood residents, said she was "disappointed and disillusioned" by the process because it seemed major recommendations were being thrown out. "A lot of thought came out of the discussions," she said.
    Safeway is expected to submit its application to the city today, according to Maureen Brooks, Burlingame's planning manager.
    Deborah Karbo, Safeway Inc.'s real estate manager, said Tuesday night that she believes the company has a "foundation" for an application. She said the plan is to complete construction in 2011. The Planning Commission is expected to review the project this spring.
    The goal had always been to have a store that both enhances Burlingame and is financially feasible for Safeway. So far, the plan is to build a 45,000-square-foot single-story building angled toward Howard Avenue. The plan envisions rooftop parking, pedestrian pathways, an enclosed loading dock, a public plaza, and retail along Primrose Road, with office space on the second floor.
    In addition, Fox Plaza Lane would be widened and made into a one-way street, while the Wells Fargo building would be renovated. Lot L, located on Fox Plaza Lane behind Fox Plaza Arcade, would be left alone.

    – Written by Fiona

  • The Continuing Woes of the SMUHSD

    Stock losses mean tough school cuts (by Heather Murtagh, Daily Journal)
    Raising employee contributions to health care, reducing overstaffing and scaling back the seventh-period day are all part of the proposal to make $3 million to $4 million in cuts estimated to be needed in the San Mateo Union High School District.
    Investment losses combined with an unknown state budget leave the district scrambling to find solutions for a problem of unknown size. In anticipation of losses, the Board of Trustees will consider a number of cuts suggested by district officials and the Budget Advisory Committee next week. Within the suggestions are hopeful ways of gaining money from the federal stimulus and increased facility use fees.
    I've never been so frustrated because I don't have a target to hit,? Superintendent David Miller said in regards to the needed cuts.
    A majority of the district's anticipated lost general fund revenue, $3 million, came from its investments with the county investment fund. Specifically, it was from losses caused from investments in Lehman Brothers, said Miller. We would not be making anywhere close to the cuts if it weren't for the money deposited … . We lost out of the general fund $3 million, over 2.5 percent of our reserve. If we had that now, we would not have to make those decisions,? he said.
    Both the BAC and administration created a suggested list of cuts, which were previously brought before the board earlier this month. Next week, the board will need to decide where to cut.
    For board President Linda Lees Dwyer, some of the easiest decisions are cuts where both groups agree such as a one-time deferred maintenance savings, freezing open positions and increasing leasing fees.
    The biggest concern is reducing the seven-period day. Miller suggested reducing the offerings but not eliminating the program. A six-person committee on the topic suggested the $1.5 million expansion of courses be reduced in the coming school year. Along with the reduction, guidelines for which courses get priority when creating schedules next year will also be considered. If implemented, the district stands to save an estimated $500,000. Trustees, however, wondered if the cuts would be enough given the unknown financial problems that lie ahead. Without the state budget, these questions remain unanswered.
    For Dwyer, the decision for seventh period is more than a financial one. Cutting those classes would reduce offerings for support courses, she said. We've set the bar so high. A lot of students need the extra help. The seventh-period day discussion isn't just financial. Even though we cannot afford it, it isn't just a financial decision,? she said.
    Craig Childress, San Mateo High School District Teacher Association president, was confused as to how a reduced seventh-period day configuration would work. How can you offer extra programs for the seven-period day by reducing the staff who provide those programs? I don't understand how that can work. No one has showen me how it will work,? he said.
    Some issues will need to be negotiated with the various faculty groups, such as raising health care contribution or department head days.
    Childress had concerns about banking on income from an item yet to be negotiated. The idea could generate $900,000, according to a staff estimate.
    Trustee Stephen Rogers had some interesting ideas for addressing structural budget issues going forward.
    One of the more interesting ideas was using solar to decrease energy costs. The district spends more than $1.15 million per year for utilities, and that's growing 4.5 percent annually, he said. Using already approved bond money to input the panels could generate 80 percent of the utilities needed saving the district for the next 30 years. However, funding those projects would mean scaling back from already approved projects such as theaters and athletic fields. A parcel tax was also put forward.
    I suggested we talk about some of these things, but it's hard to get attention on this kind of stuff,? Rogers said. We're just faced with really difficult choices.?
    The board meets Thursday, Feb. 26.

    – Written by Fiona

  • A Move Down the Avenue

    Peets Coffee and Tea in Burlingame is looking to make a move down the street. (source: Daily Journal)
    The coffee shop, currently located at 1309 Burlingame Ave., would like to occupy 1241 Burlingame Ave. a space previously filled by MacGeraghty's Jewelry. The proposal will be reviewed by the Burlingame Planning Commission Monday. There is a problem, however. Only one food establishment is allowed on this parcel. Sakae Sushi, at 240 Park Road, is also on this parcel and would need to close for Peets to open, according to a staff report. As such, it requires a conditional use permit to move forward. At the same meeting, the commission will consider amending the general plan to allow for multiple family residential developments within the Carolan Avenue and Rollins Road commercial area.
    The commission meets 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23 at City Hall, 501 Primrose Road. (agenda)

    – Written by Fiona

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