The Burlingame Voice

What is Suburbia?

The "Suburbia question" comes up frequently.  The question has numerous variations depending on whether the questioner is city-folk, a transit planner, an urban planner or just some Sunday newspaper columnist searching for a hook to get paid for another article.  Today's Wall Street Journal led off its retirement planning section with the title "Making Suburbia More Livable".  They left off the question mark, as if there was no question that suburbia needed to be "made more liveable".

The article focused on Fayetteville, GA and its effort to make itself more of a "walking community".  Fayetteville is a suburb of Atlanta.  Atlanta is a land locked metro area that has been expanding in all compass directions for years.  But does that situation apply everywhere?  I submit it does not.

In the Journal article a local Atlanta builder states,

"Space is something we thought we had to have" in the suburbs, says Ms. Trammell, age 74. "But we can't afford that today—time-wise or money-wise. Putting a single house on a one-acre lot means more street in front of that house, longer electric and gas lines to run to the house, more yard and shrubs to cut, and a bigger property-tax bill for the owners. We're all tired of that. I know I am."

That's the Atlanta perspective, but does it apply in the San Francisco Bay Area?  For someone living in North Beach or the Mission, the Sunset might seem like suburbia.  For all three of those folks, Burlingame probably seems like suburbia.  But there is a huge difference between a long string of one-acre lots and 100 year old streets of 50 x 100 foot lots.  Don't make me do the math for you--it's  not necessary.  Regardless of whether the redevelopment is in North Beach or on Balboa Ave. or on the Safeway lot, the space is already defined.

Compared to most of the country we are already "dense".  And I mean that in the nicest possible way.  Even when local land was "cheap" right after the '06 earthquake, it was dear.  That's why it was sold in 50' increments.  As you read the flyer about the upcoming Burlingame meeting on High-Speed Rail don't forget to ask yourself the question "What is suburbia?" and then ask "Why do I like it so much?"

Not all glitter ...

From the San Mateo Daily Journal; By Anna Rendall

Isabelle de Paz is being evicted from her shop, All That Glitters, on Primrose Road in Burlingame after 25 years. She worries about the chain store takeover in Burlingame.?They're chasing us out,? she said.

Isabelle de Paz is one the last remaining tenants left in her building at 329 Primrose Road in Burlingame.

Surrounded by empty suites, she knows in two months her walls will also be bare, stripped of the sparkling tiaras, pearl earrings, golden broaches and all the other vintage and costume jewelry she sold from this space for 25 years.

I thought I would be here until I was 90 with a rhinestone cane,? said de Paz with a somber smile.

De Paz is moving her jewelry store, All that Glitters, from her location steps away from Burlingame Avenue to Broadway because her building was bought and her new landlords has plans for the building that didn't include any of the approximately 20 tenants.

It began in April when she was to renew her lease, but instead received a letter informing her that the building had a new owner and that he would not be renewing anyone's lease, said de Paz.

I've been in a living hell since April. I keep getting sick from stress. You should see my Kaiser bill,? said de Paz.

Her last day open is Dec. 31, but she has until Jan. 31 to leave. That month will be spent packing up, moving and put[ing] paper on the windows so no one sees me in here ... mourning by myself,? said de Paz.

De Paz is one of many small business owners who have had to make the move out of the Burlingame Avenue area due to rent increases and new landlords. Some, like Sam's Sandwiches and The Studio Shop, moved to nearby streets. But De Paz predicts that Broadway will become the segue for small businesses like her own.

It's more funky, it's retro,? she said.

Ross Bruce, president of the Broadway Merchants' Association, jokingly said de Paz was one of the Burlingame Avenue refugees.? He has seen a few small businesses make the move from Burlingame Avenue to Broadway and explained that Broadway, with only two chain stores, was designed for the mom and pops.

Burlingame Avenue has more of a regional draw ... People walk [to Broadway] from their homes, it was designed pre-automobile,? he said.

Bill Meeker, the city's community development director, said that the city is in the process of creating a Downtown Specific Plan for Burlingame Avenue to address the area and build up on the successes that we have in our downtown area [to] maintain its usability for years to come.?

The plan, he said, should balance the corporations with the mom and pop operations.?

But not all small businesses are moving from Burlingame Avenue. Calvin Wang moved his Le Croissant cafe from Broadway to Burlingame Avenue 20 months ago in hopes of regaining the business he lost after restaurants were moved near his place on Broadway.

But like de Paz, Wang knows customers by name. He motioned to a man sitting at one of the tables, and said that the man ordered coffee every time he came in.

I don't have to ask them what they want [when they come in],? said Wang.

The city needs to do something,? he said, calling the rents outrageous.?

Burlingame Mayor Rosalie O' Mahony said the city has no right to determine rental rates or property values because we live in a free enterprise.?

And although high rents don't top small businesses favorites list, owners say they know what to expect.

It's a free market ... you can't tell a landlord what to charge,? said Sam Malouf, owner of Malouf's on Burlingame Avenue.

The Studio Shop owner Janet Martin said she understands both sides and, as a business woman, knows what to expect. She had to move three years ago along with other businesses, including Sam's Sandwiches, when her building was bought.

One solution to inhibit the increasing number of chain stores is to limit how wide store fronts can be, which could help keep rents down and to keep our small-town charm,? said Russ Cohen, president of the Burlingame Historical Society.

De Paz said the first floor of the building she is in will be turned into one large area, and said, with an emotional choke, that she thought her door would become the entrance to this new space.

But she said she is being positive about the move, which includes having her first jewelry sale and writing down customers' contact information to keep in touch.

Maybe this will be the greatest thing that has ever happened ... Ask me in six months,? she said.

- Written by Joe

Election 2007 - "Affordable" Housing

Affordable housing quotas increasing - 170 jurisdictions now require building affordable homes (Daily News)

More than half of all Peninsula cities have adopted ordinances that require a portion of new housing developments to be affordable, according to a report released Tuesday. The report on inclusionary housing programs statewide, which also found that at least 80,000 Californians are living in long-term affordable housing, was an upbeat endorsement of affordable housing quotas.

In the uphill effort to produce new affordable homes in California, using inclusionary housing ordinances "is a solution that's actually working by putting roofs over people's heads," said Dianne Spaulding, executive director of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, one of four housing groups that authored the report. "The next time you go to Macy's or Target to buy something or you go to the grocery store to get your food, ask yourself where the retail clerk might live, and why they can't afford it," Spaulding said. "The people you think need affordable housing are the very people around you."

The report found that 170 jurisdictions in the state - 32 percent of cities and counties - now have some kind of inclusionary housing ordinance, up from 107 in 2003 and 67 in 1994. Palo Alto was the birthplace of the state's first inclusionary policy in 1973. The ordinances vary widely in how they aim to achieve their common goal. Some require that as little as 6 percent of a housing development be affordable; others go as high as 35 percent. There are also a variety of incentives offered to developers, including the option to pay a fee or donate land instead of building the housing themselves; fast-tracked permit processes; fee waivers; and the ability to build at higher densities.

The challenge is still large - a recent report predicted San Mateo County will need more than 70,000 new housing units by 2025, more than half of those affordable to moderate incomes or below - but officials said the local ordinances are a start. "I don't think anybody's claiming this is the sole solution to California's housing crisis or San Mateo County's housing needs," said Greg Richane, program organizer for the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, "but it's certainly one tool among many." Richane pointed to a project in Menlo Park, where a developer partnered with Habitat for Humanity to create 22 affordable homes as one of the products of such an ordinance. The idea of "affordable" is relative, of course, but is defined in the report as housing that comprises no more than 30 percent of a household's total income. About 47 percent of the state's affordable housing was for low-income residents, defined as having incomes of $61,312 for a family of four. Another 24 percent is for very-low-income families, with annual incomes below $29,295; moderate-income families making $98,128 annually comprised 21 percent.

San Bruno was cited as one of the eight top-producing jurisdictions statewide, requiring that 15 percent of developments larger than 10 units be affordable. Since it adopted its ordinance in 2003, it has issued 325 inclusionary housing permits, an average of 91 per year.

In San Mateo County, there are 11 cities plus the county that require some amount of affordable housing in certain new developments: Burlingame, Colma, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Portola Valley, San Bruno, San Carlos and San Mateo. Other cities are building affordable housing but do not have citywide ordinances. Redwood City, for example, requires that 10 percent of developments in its downtown redevelopment area be affordable to low- or moderate-income families, said Pat Webb, acting economic development manager for the city.

- Written by Fiona

Housing Quotas from the State

Area braces for housing quotas

Beth Winegarner, The Examiner

Every seven years, the Bay Area braces itself for a milestone that cities dread about as much as the average person dreads taxes.

New housing quotas, handed down from state officials to the Association of Bay Area Governments, will be debated and potentially adopted by ABAG's board of directors tonight.

Under the proposal, San Francisco will be asked to build more than 33,000 new units, while San Mateo County has a quota of nearly 16,000. However, such quotas are not enforced, leaving many regions free to build as much or as little housing as they can.

The process is broken, and anyone who claims it's not broken is whistling Dixie,? said ABAG Director Henry Gardner. This is the state's process ... and we need much more input on what it looks like and how it operates. It's extremely frustrating.?

Between 1999 and 2006, San Francisco was asked to build 20,372 new units, and succeeded in building 13,969. Meanwhile, San Mateo County collectively built 7,872 a little more than half its quota of 16,305.

We are not meeting the needs, especially for the lowest wage earners,? said Chris Mohr, director of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County.

California's newest quotas were divvied up by ABAG so that cities with more growth and better transit were required to build more units. For San Mateo County, the numbers actually dropped, but for transit-heavy San Francisco, the formula creates a push for more units.

The burden is placed on cities like San Francisco because the infrastructure exists,? said San Francisco planner Teresa Ojada. With the city's current housing plan, We have surpassed production targets for market-rate housing, but with affordable housing, we're concerned we won't meet the target. The funding is not there.?

Cities such as San Francisco already have the transit system to support transit-friendly housing, but some Peninsula cities, such as Belmont, do not.

They tell us [residents] will use transportation. What transportation? The buses don't come that often, and the trains don't stop in Belmont that much,? said Belmont Mayor Coralin Feierbach.

Discrepancies such as transit are among the reasons San Mateo County is setting up a regional strategy to allow for housing swaps and other trades, so cities able to build more housing will do so, while those with less room for growth are not faced with an uphill battle. Cities in the county have not yet determined who will build what.

While most Bay Area leaders agree the process must change, that change will take time and collaboration, Gardner said.

It will only come when we can come together, region by region, and insist that we change this process,? Gardner said. And we do need housing. We all want, 30 years from now, for the next generation to say, Those people were pretty smart.'?

- Written by admin

Caltrain -- Speed or Convenience?

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Ana Morales is losing sleep over Caltrain. She used to get up at 5 a.m. to walk to the 5:30 a.m. train at the Broadway station in Burlingame. Now that the station is closed on weekdays, the San Francisco police officer has to get up at 4:30 a.m. and walk a mile to the Millbrae station to get to her shift on time. "The Caltrain shuttle from Broadway doesn't come that early," she explains. Nor does it run in the mid-afternoon, so she walks another mile home.

Judi Allen would like to take public transit from her Belmont home to her volunteer job as a cancer patient advocate at UCSF's Mount Zion campus, but it would take her at least two hours each way. Her day would begin with a brisk, 30-minute walk from the Alameda to the Belmont train station, where one train an hour runs to San Francisco during commute times. Fifty minutes later, she would need to catch a bus across town. Instead, she goes through a tank of gas every few days and pays $1.75 every 20 minutes to park.

The Caltrain schedule on the Peninsula, which emphasizes "Baby Bullet" express trains, is built around the philosophy that speed is more important than convenience. There's no question that the "reinvented" schedule emphasizing express trains has attracted new customers and has helped narrow Caltrain's shortfall from $13.5 million in 2005 to the current $5 million deficit. But other factors such as higher gas prices, more congested highways and the improved economy also account for increases in passenger counts. Ridership is up nationwide. The American Public Transportation System recently reported that Americans took more trips on local public transportation in 2006 than during any year since 1957.

At a time when people are eager to help the planet by getting out of their cars, Caltrain is failing to serve passengers who want convenience. Trains that used to come every 30 minutes during commute times now come only once an hour, weekday service has been suspended at two stations and shuttles only function during peak hours. It's impossible to travel between some points, such as Belmont and Sunnyvale, during commute times.

Eleven current and former City Council members from San Mateo County believe it is time to revisit Caltrain's schedule so that it better meets the needs of passengers and attracts more riders. It is entirely possible to add back some stops with minimal impact to express trains and provide more local service along with Baby Bullet trains. The Coalition to Expand Transit Service is urging city councils throughout San Mateo County to ask Caltrain to retain an outside consultant to optimize the schedule, to complete promised safety improvements and to work together with cities to improve connectivity among transit services.

Instead of moving toward a model of a few transit hubs ringed with acres of concrete and huge parking structures, we envision pedestrian-friendly transit in the heart of our cities. That's the model that has served the Peninsula well for more than 100 years. On the Peninsula, we have been transit oriented far longer than the term "transit-oriented development" was coined. As cities lose transit, they also lose their ability to attract new development near transit corridors, and businesses and residents in the vicinity suffer.

Click here to read this complete Open Forum piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.

- Written by Terry Nagel

Recap of the Charrette, (posted on Burlingame's website)

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.

- Written by Jen

Downtown Economic Study

If you care what our Downtown Economic Study is all about, please come to the following meeting

DATE: Wednesday, May 24th
TIME: 6:30 pm
WHERE: Lane Room, Burlingame Public Library.

Time will be set aside to ask questions.

- Written by Fiona

Auto Row Mixed Use Over the Border

Dana's article in the Daily Journal - Condos planned for former Shen site

A new developer is hoping a plan to turn a long vacant San Mateo Drive property into a 154-unit condo and retail complex will win the city's approval this month.The San Mateo Planning Commission is set to hear the plan by Centex Homes of San Ramon redevelop the 3.11-acre lot that at the corner of San Mateo Drive and Peninsula Avenue. The former Shen Chevrolet dealership has been mostly vacant since 2000. In 2004, the commission rejected a plan that would create a commercial and retail development. This time the project will have a 16,000-square-foot retail space big enough for a small grocery store and 154 condominiums. The condos will range from one to three bedrooms and start at 870 square feet with some custom condos reaching 2,000 square feet. The project will be four stories high, said Devin Hassett of Centex Homes.

The city once hoped to lure another car dealership to the site so it could collect additional sales tax. However, the downturn in the economy left little hope of a new car dealership making any plans to roll into the spot close to Burlingame's auto row. In 2004, the commission rejected a plan to put a 20,000-square-foot retail spot for a Trader Joe's market with 40,000 square feet of office space because of a poor design and feeling that it didn't have enough mixed use.

- Written by Fiona

Joint Council / Planning Commission Study Session

On Saturday March 18, 2006, there will be a Joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting at Fire Station 34, 799 California Drive. The goalis to set priorities for the planning commission folowing the city council goal setting sessions. Please park on the street (not in the practice yard) and enter the Fire Station through the practice yard off California. The meeting commences at 9:00am and should conclude at 12:00pm.

Agenda - Discuss the Council's FY 2006-2007 Goals for Planning
Public Comment
Set the FY 2006-2007 Work Program for the Planning Department and Planning Commission
Public Comment

- Written by admin

Dealerships need (?) from the City to Thrive

Christine's article in the San Mateo Times: Housing vs. car sales in Burlingame
Auto row, city's major revenue source, is prime spot to build high-density homes

BURLINGAME Auto row is Burlingame's cash cow. Its steady flow of income provides 50 percent or $4 million of the city's sales tax revenue every year, but city officials are worried about its future. "My concern is how to keep these (auto dealerships) viable long term," said City Manager Jim Nantell. "We have to look at threats to revenue streams."

Auto dealerships on California Drive sit on prime real estate from Peninsula to Howard avenues. Auto dealerships were the city's savior when hotels faltered after Sept. 11, 2001, said Councilwoman Rosalie O'Mahony. "We certainly need the auto dealers more than any business in the entire city," she said. But proponents of transit-oriented development view the area as the perfect spot for high-density housing because it is a half-mile from the Burlingame Avenue train station. Nantell worries that high-density housing would amp up the value of the land on California Drive and force dealerships to sell and move. He added that future owners or heirs of Mike Harvey and Joe Putnam's dealerships also would feel the pressure to sell when they have to pay inheritance taxes on the land. "We're going to have to make sure we know how to keep them in Burlingame now, and auto dealers knowhow best to do that," Nantell said. In the next couple of months, Putnam is expected to make a presentation to the council on what his dealerships need from the city to keep thriving, Nantell said. To accommodate auto dealers, city officials rezoned the north end of town in the Rollins Road industrial area that borders Millbrae. It fronts U.S. Highway 101, which Nantell said provides broader geographic visibility. But there are no apparent takers from dealers to open up business on the 3,000-foot stretch of land along Adrian Road to Edwards courts. That's because the area is inaccessible and far from public transportation for people who drop their cars off for maintenance at the dealerships, some dealers said. The land is also expensive for dealers to build on when some already own the land on California Drive.

Vice Mayor Terry Nagel said she would like to see the dealerships move to Adrian Court but knows it's not realistic. Instead, the goal is to attract new dealers to Rollins Road, Nagel said. O'Mahony said she would never support California Drive auto dealers moving to the industrial area because it has insufficient land and because of the tax implications that would go with the move. "They're happy and they don't want to go anywhere," she said. "I don't want to see the auto dealers move out because of housing." Nagel does see the benefits of transit-oriented development. "You get more value out of the land, improves safety, and creates vibrancy in the downtown area," she said. "It becomes a more exciting place to live. The idea is that prime pieces of real estate around the train station should not become just passive places where we park cars."

To Mike Harvey the Acura and Honda dealer the real threat to auto dealers on California Drive is the potential closure of the Burlingame Avenue train station not high-density housing. On Feb. 22, City Council had the opportunity to approve Caltrain's $12 million project that would have closed off South Lane and made Burlingame Avenue train station's platforms safer and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. "It seems now that there's a very strong possibility that Caltrain could bypass the Burlingame Avenue station," said Harvey, who worries that the value of the land would plummet. "What I'm fearful of is that at some point, federal officials will tell Caltrain to shut it down. That would isolate Burlingame both from a residential and businesses standpoint. (The station is) most important to the viability of auto row and residents." He further criticized the council's plan for the possibility of a grade separation at the Broadway train station, which has been closed on weekdays. It is another project, he said, that would alter the geography of Burlingame and isolate dealerships near Broadway. Harvey warned the council to not play with "one of the most significant income sources the city has" and to be careful in making "plans for auto dealers who have been here in the same location almost since the turn of the century."

Once again some heavy hitting from our cash cows. Lets hope this is not another deja vu Caltrain moment when we threaten (cajole?) if we do not get our own way. The republic of Burlingame is alive and well and kicking!

- Written by Fiona