The Burlingame Voice

B Street Books comes to the Avenew

B'game continues to have two vibrant downtowns.  Broadway and the Avenue retail spaces aren't "full", but both districts appear healthy to me.  In another sign of how attractive the Ave is, San Mateo's B Street Books is moving to the west end of the Ave into the space of the former piano store.  I have wondered how a shop like Joe and the Juice could survive in a pretty big space on coffee sales, but I think B Street is quite capable of bringing bookselling back to the Ave.

They had a sixteen-year run in San Mateo, on B Street of course, so there is a built-in customer base that will like the Ave as much as B Street -- or more.  I hope I'm right and welcome to B'game.  Now the B in B Street Books can stand for B'game.

 

Avenew update: Bye bye pavers

We haven't addressed any changes on The Avenue recently although there has been bits of news and commentary.  So here goes.  Burlingame native turned San Franciscan, Peter Hartlaub of the SF Chronicle, did a piece this week titled "Nostalgia and progress are a tough balance. This Bay Area downtown gets it right." that was highly complementary of the San Mateo downtown.  He likes the B Street closure and all of the restaurant choices down there.  Regarding his hometown Avenue, not so much:

The Peninsula has changed so much since I grew up in Burlingame in the 1970s and ’80s that I sometimes wonder whether I imagined the whole thing.

All of my favorite South Bay movie theaters, comic book stores and sandwich shops are long gone. Marine World Africa USA’s dolphin shows and waterslides were replaced by Oracle headquarters. Main drag Burlingame Avenue turned from a haven of small businesses catering to the middle class to a Boulevard of Things I Can’t Afford.

On that "boulevard" the city has finally thrown in the towel on some of the pavers that are cute, almost nostalgic in a faux cobblestone sort of way, but a maintenance headache.  The replacement project was scheduled to be complete last night:

Several downtown Burlingame Avenue intersections will be under construction from March 24 through March 27. At the intersection of Burlingame Avenue and Primrose Road and the intersection of Burlingame Avenue and Lorton Avenue, the City will remove existing pavers and install new asphalt concrete, which will reduce the maintenance required for the pavers. At the intersection of Burlingame Avenue and Park Road, pavers will be replaced both in the intersection and in the crosswalks.

I just walked through the busy core intersection of Primrose and The Avenew where a few loose pavers are hanging on.  Maybe they stay for historic reasons?  Or the project is just going slower than planned.  Be on the asphalt alert.  Right at that crossroad, Joe and the Juice is closing "for maintenance".  The windows were being papered over this morning.  I admit being surprised a coffee and juice place of that spacious size can survive on the Ave with all the coffee competition.  It never looks even half full, but they say they will be back.  Maybe Hartlaub will stop by Broadway on his next journey down the Peninsula?

City Hall Moving Around the Corner?

We covered the shortcomings of the historic City Hall here last September when the search for alternatives started.  As we noted then, a central downtown location is an intangible that is hard to value and harder to replace. Right on cue, staff is recommending a move around the corner to 1440 Chapin Ave--across the street from Mollie Stone's.  The move would involve two phases--a leased period followed by a purchase of the building and inheriting some of the existing tenants.  Per the Staff Report

Pursuant to the Lease and Purchase Agreements, the City is required to purchase the building by June 30, 2027, for a price of $34,500,000. After the building is purchased, the City plans to retain existing tenants in office suites not occupied by the City, which will serve as a source of revenue for the City and offset some or all of the costs associated with purchasing 1440 Chapin. Revenue is estimated to be $1,656,000 per year from rental income.

The city as a landlord could also extend to "the opportunity to collaborate with other public agencies, if they would like to lease space in the new City Hall."  The plan is up for discussion at tomorrow night's city council meeting and as these things go, I would think the deal is basically done.  Enough ground has been laid and there are enough short-tenured councilmembers that staff's say-so will suffice.  We don't have a Rosalie O'Mahony to issue a caution that would prevail.

The real question is what of the current City Hall property?  The DJ piece raised the question, but the answer is "we'll figure that out later"

Nearly 10 years ago, Burlingame had weighed the possibility of developing housing at the current City Hall site, though (Mayor Peter) Stevenson said conversation around the fate of the old building would be held at a future date.

Engaged locals are already worried about the open space in front of city hall.  The holiday tree lighting is a classic B'game community event.  The pressure to flip it to a developer who would "stack and pack" it with a mix of "affordable housing" will be high.  Is there enough backbone to resist it and make the best use of the aging facility possible?  Are there potential tenants who don't need Class A space?  What about those "other public agencies"?  There is also a decent amount of parking on the site so if a Return to Office move is afoot for city staff, those spaces are a short, healthy walk to 1440 Chapin.  We shall see.  An eagle-eyed reader sent me the Instagram post about tomorrow's meeting.  I didn't know the city was posting there.

 

Crosswalk Daylighting: Minus 100 spaces and counting

We covered the new "daylighting" law that went into effect last January but is only now starting to be enforced here in B'game and elsewhere.  You can refresh your memory here regarding the 20-foot clearance around all crosswalks.  I have been having email discussions with Public Works and BPD on what the effects will be in our commercial districts, the areas around schools and the Rec Center as well as plain old residential areas.

2024 was the "educational" year when marginal violations would only earn a warning, but BPD does not show that it issued any warnings in town.  I say "educational" because the city is only marking red curb areas in the high traffic-high pedestrian areas.  Both of our commercial districts and the school zones qualify for new or refreshed paint.  Public Works notes "The City has already completed red curbing in the Burlingame Avenue downtown area and is now focusing on Broadway as the next priority" and estimates this will eventually result in a net loss of about 100 spaces city wide.  Some of our existing red zones will have to be extended to 20' like the one shown below in front of Ike's, so I think there maybe a few more than the initial 100 estimate.

Things get more interesting in residential neighborhoods.  There are crosswalks all over the place and plenty of people are accustomed to parking in front of their houses within 20' of such intersections.  I can go for a 15-minute walk in Burlingame Park and regularly count a half dozen.  There are two pocket parks on my walk, one that used to be Pershing School, so that may account for some of the legacy crosswalks.  Very few of these have any red curbing.  Thus, BPD has indicated:

The fine for daylighting is $40.00, the same as most of the City's parking fines. Parking Enforcement Officers won't be actively patrolling residential neighborhoods specifically looking for these violations. However, if they happen to observe one, they are encouraged to take appropriate action, which could be a warning or a citation.

I think good judgement will prevail at least for some educational period.  Six months?  9?  We shall see.  I'll be on the lookout for new red paint and whether or not it improves visibility of pedestrians.  Drivers should remember it is no longer illegal to jaywalk per The Freedom to Walk Act, which was signed into law in January 2023.

Lot Why: Some parking spots are busier than others

The Broadway business district was humming this afternoon in spite of the overcast and drizzle.  Four days before Christmas and Hanukkah is "peak shopping time".  I made four stops that took about an hour including two trips back to my car, so the scene below wasn't just a single instance anomaly.  The gas guzzler spaces were packed.  You remember how tight the Lot Y lane is between the two parking rows next to Pick of the Litter when both sides are full.  Even in a mid-size sedan, backing out of a space is a two or three-cut process.  Maybe it is the rain, but my meter took my coins, flashed green, but failed to display how much time I just bought.  It's ticket roulette.

Many people were looking longingly at the EV spaces.  I didn't have the heart to look at each charger to see if they were operational--I sort of know the answer already based on this post two weeks ago.  As the "Daylighting" ordinance goes into effect with fines starting Jan 1, parking spots will get incrementally rarer.  Just wait until 19 spaces go EV-only in Lot K between Safeway and Walgreen's.  Perhaps Santa will bring the city a few shrouds to cover broken chargers that read "Open to all vehicles for free".  It's on my list.

Fall Fest: Trains, Ponies and the Cybertruck

I strolled through the Howard Ave. Fall Festival yesterday.  I hadn't been in years, but when I saw the horse trailer parked near Isobune I decided to check it out.  The hurricane out in the Pacific made for a humid, partly cloudy stroll, but that didn't seem to diminish the crowd.  It felt as busy as Art on the Ave.  The little train was giving kids rides reminiscent of Rudy Horak's Holiday tree-lighting train.  It's nice to see that tradition continue.  The demonstration Cybertruck was also there like at Art on the Ave, and as if it isn't scary enough already, add skeletons.  But the biggest draw by far was the pony rides.  No need to go all the way over to Lemos Farm when the ponies come to B'game.  The line had to have at least 50 kids waiting patiently.  Kudos to the DBID for keeping tradition alive downtown.

The New Old Post Office is coming along

Now that the construction fencing is down around the new old Post Office, the renovations are starting to sparkle, especially at night.  I have it from a reliable source that the interior polishing is a good as what we see on the exterior.  It's been about two and a half years since groundbreaking which seems quick given how other project bog down.  Here's the old new door into what will be the new restaurant.

ลาก่อน Narin Thai: 30 years of excellence

ลาก่อน is Thai for "goodbye".  As of tomorrow, that is what we will be saying to Martin and Crystal, owners of Narin Thai on Park Rd.  After thirty-plus years of excellent food, excellent service and excellent prices, they are retiring.  Narin is the quintessential Mom & Pop business.  Martin cooks and Crystal handles the front.  That's it--just the two of them for lunch and dinner six days a week for more than thirty years.

I can try to tally the number of Spicy Basil Chicken and Yellow Curry Prawn dishes I have had.  Thirty years is 1,500+ weeks--with weekly ordering, it's probably about 2,000 Spicy Basil Chickens, since I ordered two at a time.  I generally called ahead to see if the fantastic brown rice was available that day and if not; Crystal would whip it up for me.

ขอบคุณ Crystal and Martin--Thank you.  Truly a "Best of Burlingame" business.

EV charging ahead with preferred parking spots at Walgreens

The news is all pointing to a deceleration in EV sales as car companies' losses per EV pile up and consumers start to really question the benefits of going electric.  People who don't worry about the high initial costs or the lengthy payback (some estimates put it at 7 years) have bought their EVs already.  We are now approaching the trough of adoption while waiting for cheaper versions, longer range and more charging stations.  These trends haven't stopped B'game from going full speed ahead with 16 new charger spaces downtown.  The latest swap of fully public spaces to preferred parking for EVs in need of a boost is coming to the public lot (K) between Walgreen's and Safeway.  This is a busy lot for much of the day and early dining evening.  Per the Daily Journal piece

The City Council authorized the city manager to proceed with negotiations on a contract for Tesla to rent the parking lot space from Burlingame, although councilmembers said they’d like to see details on lease and fee rates as well as plans for signs that would delineate the chargers as usable for all electric vehicles.  Tesla has said they will pay a monthly rent of $6,000, and everything will be free to the city, including installation.

Let's go easy with the F-word (i.e. "free").  It's only "free" if $6K per month covers the lost revenue of the 19 spaces lost.  That's about $315 per month or about a dollar a day per space.  My math says these new charger spaces are far from "free".  

After Beach inquired about the leasing agreement and rental cost, Tesla Supercharger Project Developer Caitlyn Hanner said the company would require a 10-year lease minimum but could provide a rent increase of up to 3% a year.   Installation of the Tesla superchargers would create a loss of three parking spots.

Ten years with a very modest rent escalator is quite a deal.  There are about 57 spaces in Lot K now.  Three will be taken for the e-infrastructure, so about 30 percent of the lot is planned to be preferred parking for EVs.  As the DJ article notes, several council members are Tesla owners and others own other brands which these new superchargers will accommodate.  Did we just witness a conflict of interest that should have caused recusals on the vote?   Just kidding.  But it would have made a great April Fool's Day post.

Maybe the time has come to require chargers to also pay for the parking.  EVs already skirt the gas tax and they inflict more wear and tear on our roads than gas cars due to their higher weight.  I will tag the "Friends with benefits" category as well since this looks like a sweet deal for a few people and the car companies.

Avenews: Pottery Barn closing

B'game has avoided the retail doom loop for the most part.  There are always vacancies on the Avenew and on B'way, but they haven't dulled the sense of vibrancy on the streets-yet.  Now one of the largest spaces on the Ave is going dark as Pottery Barn has announced it will close in January.  The Chron did a piece on the closure and how our store was more than just the average PB:

Malin Kansal, a San Francisco-based real estate agent who worked in Pottery Barn’s corporate office in San Francisco between 2008 and 2012, said that the current “state of affairs” in regard to the retail climate likely contributed to the decision to shutter the Burlingame location.  “As we stand here post-COVID-19, the retail climate is changing so much,” said Kansal. “People love shopping online.”

Kansal said that the Pottery Barn in Burlingame functioned as the “model store” for the larger brand: “They used the store to display and take photographs of the items before the start of the season.”

This will be a test of how strong the Avenew is going forward.  If it needs to be broken in half a la Anthropologie to rent that will be telling.  The new vet at that location, Dr. Treats, is now scheduled to open in January.  Say goodbye to Pottery Barn.