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.

 

Comments

[Joanne]

Every time I hear the pile driving I am thinking of the childhood song..."I am working on the railroad all the live long day"!

[Steve Kassel]

Building is noisy. Limiting hours would mean delays and greater costs. Address the noise issue? Pile drive quietly?

[Gerald]

When has Burlingame been "ahead of the curve"? Don't we reinvent the wheel routinely in this town?

[hollyroller]

touché Gerald...
Touche'

[Jennifer]

The Bayside seems so far away, but this is a reminder that it actually is very close by. Since this is a first, at least the first in many decades, I don't think anyone could have anticipated the noise, and it probably isn't possible to muffle.

The rifle range noise is just as loud as before, but perhaps a bit less of it since some of the range activities happen in the new enclosure.

I don't know if any of the incessant banging sources would actually push the decibel meter over the top, measured where they annoy us-- at home, but they disappear into the clutter of increasingly loud white noise in the background.

Has anyone noticed the frequent black plume coming from the pile driving machines? I guess they get a grandfather pass on those.

And what to do about that obnoxious, untuned junker (or three), that race up and down the streets to call attention to themselves? To me, they are the absolute worst offenders, and unlike the other sources, never seem to call it quits.

[Peter Garrison]

Said it once and I’ll say it again: in 20 years people will be amazed that we let gas-powered leaf blowers pollute our air and our ears.

It’ll be the equivalent to the wonderment expressed now that, not long ago, people were allowed to smoke on airliners.

[Russ]

With all due respect to Steve, who implies there is no way to quietly pile drive, I would suggest that the U.S. Off ice of Noise Abatement and Control in their publication called "Constriction Noise" suggests that there are ways to mitigate and sometimes eliminate the noise from pile driving.They outline some of those ways in the publication.

The bigger point is that local municipalities are not regulating or even trying to regulate construction noise. In a town like Burlingame, where construction will continue for years to come, I believe that there should be a closer look at this issue.

Simply throwing up our hands and saying there isn't anything we can do about it is unacceptable.

[David]

To Jennifer's point about the Bayside being very close, does anyone know how many workers will be located there when this project is fully leased, and how many additional cars are expected to try to get on and off to 101 at Poplar and/or Broadway each day? We're obviously beyond of the point of no return on this, but impact on East Side neighborhoods is likely be substantial. Sure hope City did its homework in terms of traffic mitigation.

[resident]

I'm pretty sure they did not do their homework. If they did, they get an F on it.

[Joe]

Here is a letter from the DJ that goes to how San Mateo is screwing itself up--and we are along for the ride:

Editor,

In response to the proposed mixed-use housing on Concar Drive, consisting of 935 residential units and 35,000 square feet of office space, I sent two words to the City Council: “Irresponsible” and “Obscene.”

We have yet to see the impacts of the Station Park Green project, which includes 599 units and 35,000 square feet of retail office space in that same area, on the adjacent residents and State Route 92.

The Concar strip mall is dilapidated, but consideration of this monster project is more than mere YIMBY-ism (yes in my backyard). Is there no holistic approach to city planning? It’s ironic that when you click on the city website tab “What’s Happening in Development,” the page fails to show the numerous preapplications, applications under review and approved applications. It instead notes: “Too many redirects.”

Adding insult to injury is the developer’s partner stating that the proposal “has the potential to reduce traffic.” Show me a single monkey without a stake in the game who believes that hogwash. Further, my taxpaying neighbors will be the ones to prop up infrastructure with this population influx.

New mayor “Greenlight Growth” Bonilla responded to my concerns this way: “Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Have a nice day.” To which I responded, “My nice day will come when the residents in this city are truly considered.” Our council is in process of drawing up San Mateo’s new General Plan, and is asking residents for input to direct them in planning for our city’s future. Let’s see if they can’t get more than nice-day wishes.

Lisa Taner
San Mateo
-----------------
Lisa, I don't know you but I already like you!

[hollyroller]

Are the Main Contractor' finances coming from China?
I have read in the SF Bay Guardian & SF Weekly, that the same Chinese Mega International Corporation, that has bought up ALL of the Hunters Point Retired Military Base, is the same "Money" that is buying up San Mateo Bayside property.
I could barely afford my home.
The Chinese have Access to Billions of US Dollars in loans from US Banks.
We have problems with getting a $300.00.00 home improvement loan.
I guess we will have to pay cash.

[Laura]

Told there will be 3000 to 3500 employees. 820,000 square feet. Bus or car is the only way in and that is why the push for the off/on ramp at Peninsula. No City on the Peninsula is acting responsibly where growth is concerned. The roads are gridlocked now. By the end of 2018, I can only imagine.

[hollyroller]

Well, whatever happens, "They" know what is best for us.
Happy New Year.

[hollyroller]

My New year Resolution is to learn more about the infrastructure of The City of Burlingame.
As well as being funnier, doing better regarding fitness, and being able to explain the most basic issues that effect people living in Burlingame,CA.

FYI
If you are living in Burlingame,CA. today 01/01/2018, you either make $310,000.00. a year; renting or being ripped off by CA. Taxes.
Or, are a Section 8 "Winner."
Struggling as most "Normal" people do live on $30-50,000.00 in the Bay Area.
In my opinion, The Meek will inherit the Earth.
We will be starting with Burlingame.

[Steve Kassel]

The average salary in the Bay Area is far higher than you stated, hollyroller. I understand taking a contrarian view, but your FACTS are erroneous.

[hollyroller]

Obviously you have Zero information regarding Every Service Worker in CA.
Clerks, Elder Caregivers, cooks, mechanics, all Mexican workers, etc.
Get out and talk to your Gardener, or Fast Food Worker.
You are oblivious to the life that goes on around you.
Don't worry. You may get over it some day.

[Joanne]

Steve you must obviously be on a different planet. Where do you come up with this?

[resident]

Hollyroller and Joanne--- you do have Google, right?

In the San Francisco metro area, where Salesforce, Oracle and Facebook are among the major employers, median income was estimated at $96,677 in 2016 compared with $88,518 in 2015, according to the new statistics. Were the Census Bureau to include Santa Clara County, home to Apple and Google, the numbers would be even higher: Median income in that smaller census division rose about $9,000 over the past year to $110,040.

According to the Census Bureau, the national median income rose to $59,039 in 2016, a 3.2 percent increase from 2015. This is the second year that median income has grown in the U.S. Across the country, the poverty rate dropped to 12.7 percent, leaving 40.6 million people in poverty — 2.5 million fewer than in 2015. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Median-income-soars-in-Bay-Area-but-some-are-12196055.php

[Steve Kassel]

Facts matter, well except to hollyroller and Joanne. Thank you "resident".

[hollyroller]

If you have not worked in "The Service Industry,".....
"Stop the Clock!"
As far as Google Research is concerned, Google does not report the News, Google shares the News.
As I am with you all now Mr. Castle.

Dear Mr. Steven Castle,
You have to "Get out once in a while."
Seriously Steve.

Try reading a map instead of:
-GPS
-Cell Phone
-Map Quest
-Being afraid of pulling into a "Cultural" neighbor-"hood" gas station and asking for directions
-Uber
-African American Uber Driver
-Tell Mom, "I will be home when I get there."
-Tell Mom, "you are not the Boss of me."
-Getting on a Sam Trans Bus,go to IKEA. Then go across the street for lunch.
Leave a BIG Tip.

YOU CAN DO IT STEVE!
Let us know how things turn out.

[HMB]

In Bay Area, median income is a lot higher than average income, if I've googled that correctly. BTW, love that line about our media landscape not reporting the news, just sharing it. So much same old, same old...

[resident]

It is not "Google research". Can you not even read properly. It's the San Francisco paper which is no friend of the people above the median. And HMB, the median is the better measure than average.

[Timothy Hooker]

Let's be the leader at moving people around our City. A trend setter and envy of other cities throughout the Bay Area and the USA.

If we adopt a electric shuttle in Burlingame to move people around like Disneyworld does it will alleviate tons of traffic. Just make it fun and efficient for consumers and they will leave the cars parked.

Our small City is: 6.06 sq mi (15.68 km

"Newspaper Headlines"-Burlingame Adopts an Electric Shuttle System. Leave your car parked.

Just do a search for electric buses and you will be amazed how many options we have. Just migrate out of the gas burning shuttles we currently use as fast as possible.

[Geewhiz]

What about all of these trust fund babies 👶