The Burlingame Voice

A Watchful Eye....Put Down the Phone!

One of the unexpected consequences of the Covid lockdown is that some people have forgotten how to drive properly.  I've had at least four conversations in the last few weeks with people commenting on unsafe lane changes, running red lights, blocking the box and the bane of everyone's safety--- texting or talking without a headset or hands-free speaker.  As a regular pedestrian around downtown and Broadway, I see it all the time.  I don't have the numbers, but the crosswalk in front of Walgreen's on B'way can feel like a game of chicken when the light at California is green.  So this was a welcome sight on California just north of B'way.

220 Park Rd: From Post Office to Class A Space

Wednesday was the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Old Post Office property; now dubbed "220 Park Rd."  About 50-75 people turned out to hear some speeches, tour the historic lobby that is undergoing asbestos removal and watch The Claw take the first bite out of the old garage.  The long saga documented here, here and here is moving into the final chapter.  There seems to be consensus among the cognoscenti that this is the best design B'game could hope for-- it is certainly better than the last proposal.

The lobby will be partially preserved in the sense that it will be modified with three doorways where the large windows are now.  The plan is to pick up the poured concrete structure, turn it slightly and move it 100' towards the Avenew, put it on piers and move it back near the end of the project (projected to be March 2024).  We'll keep an eye out for the date since that will be a bring-your-popcorn event.  There will be underground parking and the Town Square will feature amphitheater-style seating for concerts and the like.  The Daily Journal has some of the details

The ground floor, including a portion of the existing post office, will comprise 15,000 square feet of retail and dining space. Office space above will feature terraces at each level and larger patios on the third and sixth floors. The two-level underground parking garage will have room for 275 cars and be open to the public on weekends and evenings.

Construction of the project will be handled by Sares Regis Group and Dostart Development Company, which will provide $2 million to the city for the town square development, as well as an additional $3.5 million in assorted fees to go toward affordable housing in Burlingame.

Click through if you are a subscriber so you can see the photo of Yours Truly in my chapeau and shorts along with my lovely bride in the left background.  Here is Dave Hopkins of Sares Regis, the Claw doing its thing and the official groundbreaking line-up.

Park it, Mack

The first phase of the new downtown parking structure is open for biz about 11 months after we discussed it here.  The ground floor has been offering free, try-before-you-buy parking for a couple of weeks, but that is now over.  It should relieve a little of the pressure from parklets and construction, especially at the old post office where today is groundbreaking day.  Here's the view of the ground floor--full-- except for the EV spots which were......empty.  I think they will be more successful than the spots near Broadway which shouldn't be hard to accomplish.

An eagle-eyed reader forwarded this photo of the rooftop parking and noted the absence of the concrete "wheel blocks" in front of the cable railing that appears a bit flimsy.  We've seen a few instances of drivers thinking they were in reverse when they weren't or hitting the gas instead of the brake, so the wheel blocks seem like a good idea here.

"Welcome Carpetbaggers"

I'm not sure there is much more to say about SB9 and SB10 than was said in the May post titled SB 9 and YIMBY Carpetbaggers except to note that Newsom only waited two days post-recall to sign them.  You can also go to the Comical's donation tracker and see that the CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (CREPAC) - CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS was Newsom's seventh largest donor for the recall race at $1.5 million.  Can you say "For Sale By Owner"? 

Design review?  Psshawh.  Street parking?  Nah, everyone will have an e-scooter and take Lyft.  Water?  Don't get me started. The last line of the Daily Post article says "Many cities have organized against SB9, including Palo Alto, Los Altos and San Carlos."  We shall see if any real organized opposition appears.  In the meantime, mark Sept. 16th as the day we said "Goodbye single-family zoning".

 

Water Security: Nothing to Worry About?

The city council took up the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan last week with the hope of approving this latest five-year update.  We described the stated concerns about shortages that came up during the study session last May here.  Words like "alarming" and "worry" were in vogue back in May, but curiously absent last week as the UWMP was approved 5-0.  I had sent several comments to the council based on my reading of the draft plan where I thought some more work was wise.  We may get to all of them over time, but right now I just want to focus on the main question.  When droughts inevitably come, do we have enough water?  Apparently the various agencies involved think we do as seen in this Table 7-6 from the plan that covers the next 20 years.

These numbers are the SFPUC Regional Water System (RWS) estimates of our city's water availability if the "Save the Fish" maneuver called the Bay Delta Plan doesn't happen.  The "Save the Fish" plan is tied up in court and negotiations, so this looks like great news!  Over the next five years, if we have a dry year our availability drops 19.7% and then stays exactly the same even if the next four years are dry.  Over the long run, things look even better.  20 years from now, if we have a dry year, our availability only drops 12.6% and thankfully stays exactly the same for the next four continuously dry years.  I guess I have been worrying for no reason.  Let's move on.  The day after the council meeting, Wally from Dilbert explained why I feel better.

Growing Season Goes "Pear-shaped"

Right around Labor Day my pears usually ripen--if there are any pears.  It becomes man vs. squirrel.  Recall I had a bountiful crop in 2019.  Then last year was a bit of a bust, but regular contributor HMB noted "Some apple and pear trees/varieties are more likely to be biennial bearers. I have a pear like that.".  Thus I was hoping for another bounty, but alas this year has gone "pear-shaped".  Per Wikipedia, that term may have originated with the U.K Royal Air Force.  In any case, here is the total harvest this year.......the normally reliable Gravenstein apple yield was way down too.

High-Cost Rail- Part 155 CA Legislature Balks at Cost

The LA Times remains on the case regarding the high-cost boondoggle that continues to trudge along in the Central Valley.  In a piece titled Newsom and California lawmakers hit an impasse on financing bullet train the Times notes

A battle to secure an additional $4.2 billion for the California bullet train has hit an impasse, with Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders failing to reach a compromise Friday.

Unless the two sides resume talks soon, any additional money for the bullet train will have to be negotiated in 2022, forcing the rail project to dip further into the roughly $2-billion pot it has in hand....a large coalition in the Assembly wants some of the money diverted to high-speed rail segments in Southern California and the Bay Area.

The negotiations were led by Assembly Transportation Chair Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who has been pressing the bullet train project to improve its performance after a history of cost increases and schedule delays. Friedman has contended for months that there was no reason to give the rail authority the full $4.2-billion appropriation when it wasn’t needed in immediate years.

The legislative dispute could affect the willingness of Congress to provide federal funding for the bullet train out of a $3.5-trillion budget resolution.

One can only hope.  We are at Recall minus nine days.  I believe virtually anyone who would win on Question 2 would immediately put a bullet in the bullet train, including MeetKevin.  I know I would as I noted here.  It would be Day 1.