The Burlingame Voice

The Booming Economy

In Burlingame, (and along the entire Peninsula,) commercial enterprises and multi-residential, mixed-use communities are rapidly rising toward the skies like giant beanstalks.

Typically, traffic and parking concerns are discussed and local leaders put policies in place to mitigate those concerns and studies are done to ensure there are no negative impacts.

However, one impact of rapid development that almost never gets addressed is the literal booming, banging, buzzing and blasting of said progress.

The source of the pile driving that begins each day at the crack of 8am and continues, like water torture, all day, everyday until 6pm emanates from the 802,837 square foot Burlingame Point, a massive project on the former drive-in movie site that has been in some form of development for years. The project, according to its project manager, requires at least 2000 piles to be driven. Why did no one associated with this project over the course of all those years anticipate the disruption this could cause on residents just across form the projects location and nearby hotels and businesses like Virgin America and others?

Cities have ordinances in place to regulate decibel levels on house parties and leaf blowers but pile driving, deep-well drilling, jack-hammering, earth moving, grading, grinding and the constant beep, beep, beeping of trucks backing up are not regulated in any way.

Our once quite suburbs are no longer places of relaxation in bucolic backyard hammocks, napping to the chirping of finches. We live now in a place where we realize the wake-up calls of bulldozers and backhoes.

Some might say, grin and bear it. It will come to end with the 2000^th pile driven.

Caltrain has just announce that their electrification/modernization project will begin shortly with 24 hour per day work along the railroad tracks. The 290 unit Summerhill project slated for Carolan Drive has not yet begun, the 260,000 square feet SFO Tech Center just got the thumbs up from Burlingame’s planning commission and there are many other numerous multi-story office and mixed use projects, not to mention the continuing demolition of two-bedroom homes into five-bedroom, six-bath open concept, mini-mansions that will continue to hum along well after the Burlingame Point project has been completed years from now.

I am not here to debate the merits of the current building boom.

Burlingame’s general plan allows for development that is concentrated on the east side. I am not here to debate the merits of the general plan either. When development happens in an aggressive and rapid pace in a concentrated area it becomes problematic.

My hope is that the noise from our booming economy becomes an issue that gets the same devoted attention in the environmental review process that other impacts of development get today.

My hope is that our elected officials, (who live primarily on the West side of town, away from the daily “grind,”) understand the burden on those who live on the East side of town.

I simply suggest we get ahead of the curve and address the noise issue now before we are tortured by it over and over again.

 

Snoopy Says "Merry Christmas, B'game"

You will recall the Christmas classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" has part of it's roots right here in B'game.  You can read up on some of the history from an Historical Society presentation by Lee Mendelson here.  So Merry Christmas from me, the Voice and Snoopy to you all.

Winter Solstice 2017

The only "new" thing to do today is sleep in

The winter solstice — also known as Yule, Midwinter, the Shortest Day of the Year and the Longest Night — occurs at 11:28 a.m. ET Thursday.

But this short, little day with the great many names also may be the worst day of the year, according to astrologers. The reason? Saturn.

Apparently, the sun will appear to pass in front of the constellation Capricorn hours after Saturn does likewise. This will cause both of these orbs to line up for the first time time since 1664, according to London astrologer Neil Spencer, who writes for The (London) Observer but first wrote about the alignment on his blog.

He insists that starting something new on this day is “ill advised” and will have long-term consequences. And anything you try to do Thursday will be more difficult than usual, take more time and be more frustrating.

I'm so glad the days start getting longer.

The Real Housing Story

The San Francisco magazine that magically shows up for free in my mailbox each month addressed "affordable housing" in its November issue.  "Affordable housing" was also a prominent topic at the City Council installation and rotation on Monday night with mention of Lots F and N where our city officials think we should be getting into the housing business.  But back to the SF Magazine.  Here is the start of the article on page 76:

Have you heard?  It's absolutely impossible to buy a home in the Bay Area.  Except people keep buying homes in the Bay Area.  And contrary to popular belief, these home buyers are not all monocle-wearing Monopoly men sporting Uber swag.  Some of them are teachers, hairstylists, social workers, single people, families, people of color, immigrants....

How on earth are they pulling it off? I needed to know.  And more important, I wanted everyone else to know.  Because personally, I'm not a huge fan of hopeless narratives, and our city has a thing for those these days.  So I asked them... they told me (1) they had saved little by little until they had a nest egg big enough to hold a down payment, or (2) how their parents had helpfully lent them (money) or (3) how they'd sold a company or invested in the stock market or (4) bought a tiny condo 10 years ago.

Well this may come as a revelation to the journalist, Erin Feher, but that is exactly how people have been buying into the Bay Area for at least 30 years.  In fact, I would suggest ALL OF THE ABOVE simultaneously.  Does it make buying easy--not exactly, but it does make it work.  And I speak from experience of doing 1, 2, 3 and 4-- some of them more than once.  It would be great if Erin wrote the same piece every other month and those who think they can build or rent control their way to housing nirvana read it every other month until they get it.

Alternative High School in B'game?

Today's Daily Journal has a piece on where 

Peninsula Alternative High School is on track to move to Burlingame, following San Mateo Union High School District officials initially approving the continuation school relocating from its remote San Bruno setting.

The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved Wednesday, Dec. 13, going ahead with a proposal to purchase 860 Hinckley Road in Burlingame for development of a new continuation school campus.

The proposal stands to end a yearslong search by officials to find a new site closer to the homes of most students than the school’s current isolation on the former Crestmoor High School campus.

With the board’s approval to move ahead, officials will begin negotiating with the Burlingame property owner to offer $5.6 million for the currently vacant commercial building. The district has set aside $20 million for property acquisition and construction of a school accommodating more than 200 students. Trustees also approved officials beginning environmental testing on the land.

Local Linda Lees Dwyer is now the Board prez and local Greg Land continues in his role as a Trustee of SMUHSD ("Smushed").  200 students going to school in the mostly light industrial district will add some complexity to police and fire coverage.  The last time I looked at the top addresses for dispatch of police, BHS was at or near the top of the list.  But all in all, it's a way better location than the old Crestmoor site which may still be in play for teacher housing as we noted here.  And is it the camel's nose under the tent for housing on the Bayfront as discussed here?

Drought Fears Again....Duh!

Sometimes you have to laugh at the Mercury News otherwise you will just cry.  Today's above the fold headline: Dry spell raises drought fear.  The piece goes on to note that if the dry forecast for the next two weeks holds true it will be the driest December in San Jose history since records began in 1893.

Did any rational person think that we would ever be free of drought fears in California?  Has the state done even one thing to capture more rainfall when it does occur?  Answer: no.

I'm still processing the new laws that take development approval away from local agencies as reported here.  Once I get a handle on the breadth of the theft, I'll write it up here at the Voice, but in the meantime none of our Sacramento-based leaders seem to be able to focus on anything but overbuilding and #metoo.

It's all very sad for the trees, the fish, the reservoirs, our lawns and everything else watery.  Here's the Merc headline and to ease the pain a second Fall tree hugger picture of a Japanese maple that is in mid-foliage change following our recent cold snaps.

Another Ugly Addition

Yet another national chain has arrived on the Avenew and degraded the visual environment - in the front and back of their store.  Here is the Athleta sign on the BACK of the store looking into the parking lot.  Really?  Maybe they are trying to save the city a little money on parking lot street lights, but it ain't working for me.  I really hope someone in Planning measured the total size of the front and back signs and that it is within code.  If it is within code, code is too loose.

Easton Project, Yes -- Nada on El Camino

If the size of the sign is indicative of the size of the project, the Easton Addition sewer and drainage project will be huuuuuge.  Phase 1 which the city site shows as completed was about a mile of pipe.  Phase 2 which is under construction is about a half a mile 

Project Scope: The work shall consist of constructing approximately 2,600 LF of new 6-inch and 8-inch sanitary sewer pipe and 15-inch storm drain pipe throughout the City using open cut, pipe bursting, and pipe reaming in the public right-of-way, along easement areas, and in private properties. Other related work includes installation and replacement of manholes, cleanouts and laterals by pipe bursting or open cut, rehabilitation of manholes, temporary bypass pumping, connecting all laterals, and other related miscellaneous work.

Phase 3 is out to bid for another 0.6 of a mile.  Here is the sign that catches the eye

I just can't help but contrast this work to the non-work not happening on our State highway, El Camino Real.  The "Flooded" signs have reappeared and may very well be with us all winter.  When I downloaded the photo below, I happened to name it the same way as one I took FIVE YEARS ago.  Unbelievable that we can blow billions on a medium-speed train to no where, but for decades we can't get decent drainage on El Camino.

Incoming Mayor Michael Brownrigg (due to be installed on Monday, Dec. 18th) made a campaign issue of getting it fixed.  This will be his chance.