Health Care District Land Use

It's been three and a half years since we touched on hospital redevelopment in any substantive way here.  That post from 2015 notes

The Burlingame City Council will address during a meeting Monday, Sept. 21, a proposal to get a head start on the environmental review of a project which could bring as many as 250 housing units to an approximately 8-acre site near the intersection of Trousdale Drive and Marco Polo Way.

Today's DJ has a letter to the editor addressing said need that I have excerpted here

Open letter to the Peninsula Health Care District Board

We write this letter as clergy in San Mateo County in relation to your role as custodians of a precious parcel of publicly owned land.  We have a collective responsibility to ensure that vital conditions for well-being are available to all in society.

In that spirit we are asking you to reconsider your vision for the use of the Trousdale land. This publicly owned parcel represents an opportunity — even more so one that carries with it a moral responsibility — to provide as many seniors as possible an affordable place to live.

We call upon you to immediately pause and consider options that will enable more affordable rental apartments to be built on the land. Alternatives to market rate housing are possible — they must be vigorously explored — and we all share a responsibility in doing what we can to provide quality of life for our seniors who call this home.

The Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon; Congregational Church of San Mateo

Rabbi Marvin Goodman; Peninsula Sinai Congregation, Foster City

Pastor Holly Hillman; Burlingame United Methodist Church

I haven't followed what has transpired since the early EIR on 250 units--if anything at all has transpired.  But I will say, that is a lot of units regardless of who lives in them.  As Millbrae goes way overboard on development around the BART- Caltrain station, another 250 units has the potential to turn the north end into a congested mess.  I hope the clergy aren't advocating for even more than that and would ask that they consider the effects on everyone as they back into the planning business.

Comments

[Asthmatic]

Today we learn in the news that we have the 8th most ozone days and the 4th most particule pollution days and the 6th worst particule pollition in the country. In the country. And all anyone can think of is to add more people. These clergy should be asking how to move these seniors to a heathier climate in the Sierra or Arizona or Nevada. This is disgusting.

[It Don't Come Easy]

More parks, less housing!

[Watt Cop]

Regarding "that we have the 8th most ozone days and the 4th most particule pollution days and the 6th worst particule pollition in the country."

Our air is much cleaner than it was in the 70's and 80's.

The employees of American Lung Association and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are pigs at the trough!

They say the sky is falling when it is NOT.

They should all go out and find jobs that contribute to society.

[Joe]

Here is a follow-up letter to the DJ:

Editor,

I want to express my appreciation to the Daily Journal for printing the letter written by clergy to the Peninsula Health Care District board (April 24 issue). It helped bring attention to an important issue regarding the appropriate use of public land and the need for affordable housing for our seniors. As the clergy letter said, alternatives to market-rate housing should be explored for the land under PHCD jurisdiction at the north end of Burlingame.

Here in Foster City, MidPen Housing has created a beautiful development with 66 units of affordable senior housing, and it was able to do it on only a half-acre of land of city-owned property.

I was the mayor that year and was proud of my colleagues as we all agreed this was an important issue in our city. The development is referred to as Alma Point and is a source of great pride to Foster City. I encourage the PHCD board to look into this model and to make a priority of building affordable housing on this land.

Pam Frisella
Foster City

The letter writer is the former mayor of Foster City.
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She left off how much parking was provided for the 66 units in a half-acre and what the traffic study said about the development. Don't think that just because it's senior housing they don't drive and their family doesn't regularly drive to visit along with care givers, employees, food service vendors, medical aides, etc. It would be good if the DJ followed-up with the "rest of the story".