The Burlingame Voice

Burlingame Brainstorms "Green Projects"

Burlingame brainstorms "green projects (by Diana Samuels, San Mateo County Times) Burlingame's wish list of environmental projects is very dependent on another kind of green the economy. The city's "green ribbon" environmental task force created a list of 26 proposed steps the city can take to help reduce energy emissions, and it presented them for feedback during a community workshop Saturday. Faced with a tight city budget, many of the proposed steps aim to make a change without much spending. Go with your heart, City Councilwoman Terry Nagel urged community members as they began to brainstorm greening ideas, but "also go with your head and what is most reasonable for the city to do, in our situation." One proposal listed in Burlingame's Climate Action Plan is an ordinance that would require new residential construction to include a minimum number of green building elements. Another would create a volunteer program to run free energy audits at homes, since PG&E offers free audits for businesses, but not residences. Another proposal would create a financing program for green building improvements. A resident who wanted to put solar panels on his or her home, for example, could get financing for the project and pay for it gradually with a charge added to his or her property taxes. Other proposed changes include: prioritized parking for hybrids or other alternative-fuel cars in city streets, garages and lots; encouraging higher-density and mixed-use development so people could walk to stores or work instead of driving; and offering recycling pickup every week instead of every other week. About 20 people attended Saturday's meeting, providing feedback on the task force's proposals. One man said he was concerned that too many of the proposals were mandatory, making them too expensive. Others stressed the importance of hiring a part-time sustainability coordinator. "When you mandate something, you have to enforce it, and when you enforce it, you have to hire someone," one man said. Nagel replied that Burlingame has to balance economic concerns while also preparing for 2020, when the state mandates that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 15 percent. "If we wait until the last year, it's going to be a huge change in practices," she said. With the completion of the proposed action plan, the green task force will be disbanded and funding will end for the city's green consultant, Kathleen Gallagher. Nagel said the city plans to form another group of community members to tackle environmental issues, but it might also be able to find grants to fund a part-time consultant. The City Council is scheduled to hold a study session on the proposals May 18, and the climate action plan is tentatively scheduled to come before the council June 1. More information about Burlingame's environmental goals is available on the "Sustainable Burlingame" page at www.burlingame.org.

- Written by Fiona

Germaine Greer at Burlingame Library on Tuesday

Germaine Greer will be appearing in the Lane Room of our Library: Date: 3/31/2009 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Cost: Free Germaine Greer has written many books including the controversial "The Female Eunuch", and her recent book is "Shakespeare's Wife".

- Written by Fiona

Burlingame Library Book Sale - April 2009

PRESS RELEASE March 25, 2009 BURLINGAME LIBRARY SPRING SALE APRIL 2009 The Burlingame Library Foundation invites the public to their Spring Book sale on Thursday, April 23rd (4:00 7:00 pm - $5 admission), Friday, April 24th (4:00 7:00 pm admission free), Saturday, April 25th (10:00 am 4:00 pm admission free) and Sunday, April 26th (1:00 4:00 pm admission free and a Bag of Books is $6.00). The sale will take place in the Lane Community Room of the Burlingame Library, 480 Primrose Road at Bellevue, with the entrance to the sale on Bellevue Avenue. Our sale includes DVDs, videos, CDs, books on tape and a vast variety of books! All proceeds benefit the programs and services of the library. For further information please visit www.burlingamelibraryfoundation.org

- Written by Fiona

Burlingame Invites Input on Climate Action Plan

Burlingame's Green Ribbon Task Force is inviting local citizens to help draft the city's plan for reducing gas emissions and promoting sustainability at a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Burlingame Recreation Center, 850 Burlingame Ave. Coffee and muffins will be served. The Task Force members will explain programs they are developing for the city's Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce emissions by at least 15 percent by 2020, as required by California law. They will solicit ideas on green building, increasing energy efficiency, solar programs, water conservation, and increasing opportunities for bicycling, walking and transit. For more information, visit www.burlingame.org/sustainable. The Task Force is also inviting the public to the second annual Burlingame Green Street Fair on Sunday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Park Road between Burlingame Avenue and Howard Avenue. It will feature a variety of green vendors and demonstrations. Admission is free. For information about reserving a booth, contact Denyse Jones at [email protected] or (415) 244-9427.

- Written by Terry Nagel

Protect our Environment and Help a Person in Need

Don't forget the event this weekend on California Drive: THREE IN ONE RECYCLING EVENT THIS WEEKEND Protect our environment and help a person in need! Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, 2009 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Burlingame Municipal Parking Lot "O" 400 California Drive Burlingame, CA 94010 * Free electronic waste recycling. * Food drive to help Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo and Santa Clara County. All non-perishable food items are needed, especially: peanut butter, hearty soups & chili, dried or canned beans, canned meats, hash, span, chicken and tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, macaroni and cheese, boxed juices, canned ted tomato products, rice, pasta, iron enriched cereals, dry cereal. * Coat drive - Clean reusable coats and jackets.

- Written by Fiona

Joint Council/Planning Meeting this Saturday

Joint City Council/Planning Commission Meeting: Date: Saturday, March 21st 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Lane Room Plenty of interesting agenda items, including: Encourage the Downtown Burlingame Business Association to Re-establish the Business Improvement District (BID) Create Below-Market Housing Options for Citizens Who Are Not Well Served by Current Available Housing Stock, such as Seniors Who Want to Downsize, Younger Residents Who Want to Buy Their First Home, Safety Personnel and Teachers (Carry-Over FY 08-09) Encourage and Facilitate Movement on the New Safeway Proposal (Carry-Over FY 08-09) Work with the Economic Development Specialist to Develop an Economic Development Program, and Research and Recommend Incentives to Promote Economic Development (Carry-Over FY 08-09) Look for Ways to Encourage Public Art as part of New Development (Carry-Over FY 08-09) Research and Recommend Options for Better Use of City-Owned Parking Lots (Carry-Over FY 08-09) The Role of Planning Commissioners when They Disagree with City Council Decisions Specification of Architectural Styles for Neighborhoods Food Service Uses within the Burlingame Avenue Commercial Area, Subarea A (click here for full agenda)

- Written by Fiona

High Speed Rail - Working for a Solution

Group's letter to state reveals rift over high-speed rail plan By Mike Rosenberg, mediaNews A letter drafted to reflect the solidarity of Peninsula cities worried about the potential harm a proposed California high-speed rail line could inflict on their neighborhoods is instead exposing a widening rift. The one-page letter was written by the Consortium of Peninsula Rail Cities, an ad hoc group of concerned elected officials representing communities along the Caltrain corridor who fear being silenced during planning of the high-speed train project. The consortium is urging as many local cities as possible to sign its "mayors' letter," which asks the state to, among other things, consider cutting off the new rail line at San Jose. It also is asking the cities to formally join the consortium by endorsing legal documents that would allow it to negotiate with the rail authority as a unified front. But some cities in favor of the train have made it clear they want nothing to do with the group, some of whose members have tried to strike down the project. Other cities that haven't yet staked a position will decide by the end of the month whether to join the consortium or rely on their own resources and Caltrain board representatives in negotiating with the rail authority. The negotiation process has heated up as the authority accepts comments through April 6 from cities, groups and residents on the San Francisco-to-San Jose segment of the rail line. After that date the authority will launch an extensive environmental planning process. The consortium's letter asks the authority to consider whisking its bullet trains through the Peninsula via tunnels, below-grade trenches and other nondisruptive options. The letter also requests the authority to evaluate a "hybrid" option in which the high-speed rail line would end at San Jose and become a Caltrain "baby bullet" express line north to San Francisco. It also argues for more Caltrain commute-time service as part of the local train agency's agreement with the authority to share the track right-of-way. Backers of the group argue a united front would give cities a major voice in negotiating with the state, which they contend has ignored their concerns. So far, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton seem poised to sign the letter and lead the group through negotiations. Mountain View and South San Francisco have signaled they appear ready to jump on board. But opponents such as San Mateo and Redwood City fear being linked with cities such as Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton, whose leaders oppose the train plan. Menlo Park and Atherton have sued the state to stop the rail from going through the Peninsula. "Why would high-speed rail be open to an agreement with two cities that have filed a lawsuit against their ability to do what they're supposed to do?," Redwood City Mayor Rosanne Foust asked. San Mateo Deputy Mayor John Lee agreed. "I'm not going to go to a group that says, 'I hate high-speed rail,' " he said.

- Written by Fiona

McMansions in Burlingame?!

Burlingame 'McMansion' baffles neighbors (By Mike Rosenberg, Daily News Staff Writer) Some Burlingame residents are questioning the effectiveness of the city's crackdown on oversized residences after officials this week approved a new house that will appear considerably taller as a result of the city's design review. A new 3 -story, 6,100-square-foot, elevator-equipped house at 2843 Adeline Drive won a height exception and general design approval from the Burlingame Planning Commission this week. The height limit for the currently vacant half-acre parcel is 30 feet, but the house will be constructed on a steep hill and thus rise 63 feet above the street level of Adeline. The property owner originally applied for a home at the base of the hill but was forced by the city to move it up the slope to comply with a code requiring a certain amount of space between the street and the home. Neighbors of the future home, several of whom live in adjacent unincorporated Burlingame Hills, say the design will block sunlight and views and lower property values. They say the commission's actions prove it's still possible for developers to construct the so-called "McMansions" super-sized homes the city tried to limit years ago by implementing a design review process. "This McMansion thing is just absurd," said Art Labrie, who has lived next door to the vacant property for the past 28 years and was one of six residents who protested the project on Monday. "All the neighbors are just totally upset about it. I feel it's being shoved down our throats." Burlingame property owners must undergo a rigorous design review process for new houses, additions and other projects. They must comply with a 12-page list of regulations and an 80-page "neighborhood design guidebook" drafted in 2000 to, among other things, provide caps on home sizes. But the codes sometimes conflict with one another. In the case of the Adeline Drive home, the planning commission's design review forced the property owner to comply with street setback requirements, which in turn moved the house up the hill and made it appear considerably taller from the street and surrounding properties. The neighbors said they were happy with the initial proposal a year ago to build the house at the base of the hill. Delays resulting from the review process cost the property owner nearly a year's worth of progress on the home, which has been mired in the planning stage for six years. "It's a tedious process and it's also disappointing because if we built this several years ago it would have been an entirely different economy," said Robert Van Dale, the Adeline home's applicant and an architect with San Francisco-based EDI Architecture. "It's taken forever." The planning commission was aware there was no way to satisfy both the height and setback requirements given the terrain of the hillside property, forcing a "trade-off," said Community Development Director Bill Meeker. Meeker added that massive houses on small lots are more of a concern, as opposed to the half-acre plot on Adeline. Council Member Jerry Deal, who helped write the design review code as a planning commissioner, said the review process was designed as a "middle-of-the-road" approach to accommodate neighbors who want caps on home sizes and families who need more space, hence the possibility for variances. "The fact is, design review has worked in an excellent manner," he said. "The houses that are being developed are much smaller than the houses that were being developed before." Council Member Terry Nagel, who before getting elected organized residents to push for the design review code, said she was not sure whether the regulations have had an effect on the number of McMansions in the city. She said some architects have found clever ways to circumvent the guidelines, such as adding a basement because it does not count toward the home's square footage cap. Nagel said city leaders may discuss updating the code at a joint city council-planning commission meeting slated for March 21."I think we are overdue on our update of design review guidelines," she said.

- Written by Fiona

Planning and TSP Commission Openings Deadline - Monday

Planning Commission - two vacant seats Traffic Safety Parking Commission - one seat Application deadline is Monday March 16, 2009. Application forms - click here

- Written by Fiona

Romeo & Juliet on Sunday, March 15th

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's "Shakespeare on Tour" performance will be coming to Burlingame: Sunday March 15th, 2009 2:00 pm Lane Room Free 55-minute Production with a follow up Q&A. The last Shakespeare performance in the Lane Room was standing room only so come early.

- Written by Fiona