The Burlingame Voice

My, what a big crane you have

We last checked in on the Old Post Office project downtown (aka the Sares-Regis project) here.  We are about eleven months after the groundbreaking ceremony and the Big Dig phase is over.  This week an enormous construction crane was put in place.  I was struck, metaphorically speaking, with how it towers over downtown.  One of my regular downtown contacts told me that I missed the wild scene as the workers walked along the "arms" out to the end to put the counterweights in place on the short side (the left side in the photo).  Unfortunately, I took the photo before I heard about the daring feat and the counterweights are perfectly hidden by the traffic light below.  Does anyone think this will be the last big crane we see downtown?

Steelhead goes vegan with a new patio

Some developments in Buildingame are better than others.  I'm not a big vegan - not opposed to it, I just like a little meat or fish with my greens - but I like the looks of the new back patio that is being added to the new vegan restaurant going into the old Steelhead brewery space.  You can just see the steel framing for the covered patio going in against the wall on the right.  That is a nice location looking at the sunset on an active block with several restaurants and an excellent wine bar.  Dine B'game.

Checking in on the Old Post Office

It's been about six weeks since we checked in on the Old Post Office project here.  As expected, the digging is going full bore.  I was reminded of how we followed the Safeway progress-- remember that here?  I don't recall if Safeway ever did install a web cam to watch the progress, but I like the idea for the Sares Regis project.  In the meantime, here's the dig.  Note the old building is wrapped in green and moved to the left with the Garden City Construction signage.

Tracking progress as the dig gets bigger

Our newest downtown parking structure

We have a new 368-space parking structure just south of Howard Ave that recently opened.  That's a lot of parking, but some people may think it's too far away from the Avenue especially if they just want to stop into Peet's and grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper.  Voila, we now have a new one-space parking structure right outside of Peet's.  It is not quite as secure as the big one, so be prepared with a chain and lock to hook up to the parking structure (second photo, lower left).  This spot has no time limit as it was in use most of the day--and the price is right, too!

Park Rd. Progress

We have always tracked major developments in town here at the Voice.  The Safeway project even has its own category on the right frame.  So the two huge projects in "Buildingame" on Park Rd. -  the old Post Office Sares Regis project and the subsidized housing project merit some recorded history.  The former is well into the dirt and digging for the underground parking should start soon.  The latter is rising like a behemoth behind the single story spaces on Howard.  Who knew those three blocks between Howard and Bayswater would epitomize Buildingame with the new parking structure and the subsidized housing project.  Three years from now we will look back at what once was.

Urban Archeology: The Piccadilly cocktail lounge

As concrete, steel and rebar take over the downtown B'game skyline, we need to take a moment to enjoy little indications of our small town past when they reappear.  On the back side of 1461 Burlingame Ave that is undergoing remodeling, next to the piano shop, work has revealed The Piccadilly cocktail lounge's rear entrance signage:  "Lunches, Dinner and Cocktails".

The 1952 City Directory reveals it was owned and/or operated by one R. H. Willoughby.  It is not listed in the wartime 1941 directory, but perhaps some Old Timer can chime in with a memory or two of the establishment and its libations.

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.

Saving History One Building at a Time

The city is slowly working its way towards more protections and incentives for preserving local buildings and homes that add to the amazing character of our neighborhoods.  Recently I was talking to a PG&E guy from Menlo Park who came to fix the outage on our street.  He looked up and down the street and was amazed that it was so nice since "they're tearing everything down in Menlo Park".  I said "Yep" and left it at that while feeling sorry for him.  The Draft "Chapter 25.35 - Historic Resources" is winding its way through the process and would represent an upgrade to the existing, limited code just for the central downtown Ave area found on the City website here.

We definitely need this--now more than ever as various local and state-wide forces seek to shred local character with the mistaken idea that it would help "affordability" and would come with no unintended consequences.  Wrong.

The Historic Register has eleven criteria for inclusion and "shall only occur upon request of the property owner" and if officially designated "are eligible for incentives detailed in Section 25.35.080 Preservation Incentives."  Those are the "carrots".  The Planning Commission study session last week focused on the "sticks" as described by the Daily Journal

The Burlingame Planning Commission weighed Monday, June 14, proposals which would punish any homeowner who destroyed a structure identified on the city’s historic registry.  Forcing a property owner to rebuild a replica of the destroyed historic structure or feature then ban any further construction at the site for 20 years was among the repercussions considered. No decision was made at the meeting and the issue will return for more deliberation later.

While the Planning Commission and ultimately the City Council will weigh the sticks, I like to focus on the carrots; like more flexible parking requirements when adding floor space and an extra 25% lot coverage allowance.  In addition, the 1972 Mills Act, named for former state senator James Mills of San Diego who passed away in March, offers the real carrot for regular homeowners looking to save a bit of property tax.  Realty Times notes that it "provides a way whereby owners of designated historic properties may receive significant property tax relief in return for restoring and maintaining their property."  You can click through for some of the details, but the bottom line is it is an incentive that the draft B'game code says "is often a benefit to the community as a whole and the owners of surrounding properties".  We've been in short supply of that kind of thinking lately with the onslaught of ADUs, SB 9, short-term rentals, etc. 

Post Office Approval: Done Deal

Back in February of 2012 we asked "Whither the Post Office?" when USPS announced plans to sell the main post office.  A lot of water has since flowed "under the bridge" and through the underground culvert that runs next to the old post office.  It sold, then sold again, and the latest owner, Sares Regis, has worked diligently on plans with the city to get to the approval it just received.  The DJ reports

The Burlingame City Council unanimously voted in favor Monday, Feb. 1, of a development agreement with Sares Regis to convert the shuttered facility at 220 Park Road into a six-story commercial tower, expected to become the city’s tallest building.  The office building is proposed to be six stories, with five floors of office space built over a ground floor of retail and dining space.

The site is adjacent to city property where a surface parking lot is expected to be reconstructed into a new community gathering hub officials imagine to be similar to Courthouse Square in Redwood City.

We've worried about the building itself tucked behind fencing for nine years with potential maintenance issues that inevitably accrue to any building of any age.  The marble-clad lobby seen here is a gem and will make for a great retail or restaurant space.  And the "town square" will be a welcome addition particularly if it can successfully host some much-needed entertainment in town.  It will certainly get more use than the lawn ever did.

Parking should be OK given the giant new parking structure that many residents are gazing up at--some shaking their heads at the size and the shadow it casts.  Along with the Village at Burlingame, 220 California, the Bayswater development at the old Hower Auto site and now the Saris Regis project, one wonders if it is time to take a breather?  Perhaps we should see how this all plays out for awhile?

P.S. I kind of like the juxtaposition of the approval headline with the San Mateo downtown vacancy headline

Purple Tears

As we teeter on the brink of going to the dreaded "purple tier" I was struck by how the Vinyl Room - which has been closed for 9+ months -- keeps the lights on in a rotating color scheme.  It was just getting into the groove of having regular live music when the virus struck.  This is the closest bar to my house and thus holds a special position in my thinking.  When I was a grad student in Center City Philly, the closest bar was an ancient Irish bar that was just on the other side of the back wall of my apartment.  I think "pony" Rolling Rocks were a quarter.

So the owner of the Vinyl Room, Juan, is to be thanked for keeping the lights on.  I hope his landlord and he are figuring it out.  BPD is not enamored with the idea of music venues holding events--even outdoors, but as the Chron noted recently

“You need to do a little extra when winter comes,” said Blaine Merker of the San Francisco office of Gehl, an urban design firm with Scandinavian roots. “It’s about extending an invitation, going from functional to celebratory.”  Add music — members of the San Francisco Ballet’s orchestra played on Hayes Street several evenings last month — and makeshift starts to become a scene.

Bay Area cities responded smartly to the onslaught of the pandemic by making it easier for residents and businesses to make use of our streets via regulatory initiatives that took into account the need for social distancing. Another welcome step? Many are now extending the right for parklets to be in place well into 2021, which will help give beleaguered businesses the confidence to invest in their outdoor spaces.

At the same time, cities are tweaking their parklet standards to take winter conditions into account, such as the need for sidewalk gutters to be able to flow freely during rainstorms. Some, including San Francisco, have small grants available for businesses that need a financial boost to build a safe space outdoors.

What’s still needed — and time is running out — is taking the initiative to energize our shared landscape. A plaza or publicly owned parking lot could hold a communal market — perhaps shielded by an eye-catching waterproof tarp above the space. Public art commissions could line up (and pay) performers who would be available for gigs in neighborhood retail areas on days when blocks are closed.

Elsewhere downtown, I have been in contact with the city about the parklets that are shall-we-say "underutilized".  One in particular is getting a look since it takes up a couple spaces and I never see anyone using it.  It was also gratifying to see the support for a performance space in the new "Town Square".  More to follow, but here is my own Purple Tear.

As promised in the comment, Jennifer has provided this really cool photo from our past.  You can see the Senator Coctail Lounge on the left where the Vinyl Room is now.  It was the "Cosiest Spot in Town" and its phone number was DI 4-1466.