The Burlingame Voice

A Time for Leadership

Last Wednesday's Daily Journal covered the proposed office development on the parking lot next to the Avenue train station.

Burlingame officials offered largely positive reviews to plans for a large office building proposed adjacent to the downtown train station, despite concerns the project may worsen the city’s transportation struggles.  The Burlingame Planning Commission unanimously agreed to push forward the proposed redevelopment of a car lot at 250 California Drive into a four-story office building.

The revealing part of the article and the meeting was in the quotes

Before voting in favor of the proposal and making it clear he supported the developer’s interest, (commission chair Peter) Gum shared development criticism he commonly receives from residents.

“What I hear on the street is please stop building and please stop the traffic congestion,” said Gum, according to video of the Monday, Feb. 12, meeting.

Gum acknowledged though the commission is required to consider projects according to the city’s zoning code, which allows for redevelopment of the property, so he voted in favor. He also made his preference for the site clear.

“I would suggest building nothing there, or keep it significantly smaller,” said Gum.  “It overpowers the most important building we have, which is the downtown train station,” said Gum.

So even Planning commissioners who hear the concerns--and there are lots of them--and seem to agree with them, apparently feel powerless to do anything to rein in over-development.  The public is not happy.  Last weekend I got talking to someone I had never met before and who had no idea who I was nor had she ever heard of the Voice.  The first sentence out of her mouth after hearing that I also lived in Burlingame was "Can you believe that building?"  Of course, she was talking about the monster on California Dr. across from this new proposed office building.

It's time for some leadership from the City Council.  If there are no zoning code terms in place to slow things down then it's time to enact them.  I'm not talking about spot re-zoning targeting an individual project--that is clearly illegal.  We need a general change.  It needs to address height, mass, trees (or lack thereof) and water availability.  We're well into drought conditions but no one seems to think that is a problem until restrictions are imposed.  With the Summerhill project now in progress and several more well along, it's time to take a breath, take stock and slow down.  Here is the Carolan Ave. claw as a visual reminder of what is already approved.

A Bit of Music on Our Quiet Avenue

The lack of entertainment on the Avenue continues to plague our otherwise vibrant downtown.  We have no lack of eateries and we seem to be able to attract bakeries even when the newest one (Panotiq) barely lasted three months--Dynora is coming soon.  But without any regular clubs or bars hosting frequent music, we have to get out and support those that offer something for the ears.  I was pleased to hear the semi-regular Thursday night gig at Barracuda with Sam Peoples on keys and Lynne Billig singing.  They were joined by guitarist Michael Sims from L.A. to provide a but of music for our entertainment drought-stricken Avenue.  Lynne told me they would be on the Avenue proper busking under the pergola next month.  In meantime, wouldn't it be great if the City put one-one hundredth of the effort on development to include some entertainment development?

Here's the Thursday night band.

Wurlitzer Fountain Returns

There is a small ray of hope that not all of Olde Burlingame will be lost in the rush to overdevelop our downtown and residential neighborhoods.  The Winter edition of the B'game Historical Society newsletter verifies early rumors that the Three Dancing Maidens water fountain that has been "out for repair" will actually return and be placed behind Malouf's.  If you aren't a Historical Society member, you should be.  I won't try to repeat the lengthy history of the fountain that Joanne Garrison wrote for the newsletter, but I will repeat the credits she mentioned.  Fred Shifferle of the Wurlitzer Trust and local realtor Greg Terry and Sam and Gloria Malouf were key to getting this bit of Olde B'game back in one piece.  Here is the photo from the newsletter.

An "Affordable Village"?

The Daily Journal gave an update to the on-going "affordable" housing saga in B'game late last week.  We've discussed how B'game has been expensive since its very founding here and I'm more convinced than ever that nothing the City tries will make much of a dent in that.  I've had several conversations with SF refugees and Silicon Valley people hoping to move north to follow the companies moving north that cause me to believe we will always be a prime destination.  And if we do something big enough (i.e. more than the 132 units being discussed now) it will have even more of a deleterious effect on the quality of life and education in B'game.

The Burlingame City Council discussed a joint effort with San Mateo County’s Home for All initiative aiming to kick-start community conversations this year regarding ways to make the city more affordable.

The pilot program is slated to launch Saturday, Feb. 10, with an initial discussion regarding affordable housing plans and policies standing to impact Burlingame.

“We will be getting a pulse of the community and seeing what people are thinking about,” Planning Director Kevin Gardiner said of the event to be coordinated by community engagement consulting firm Common Knowledge Plus and Home for All, which is a county program aiming to close the local imbalance of available jobs and homes.

Central to the initial talks will be the city’s vision to build the Village at Burlingame affordable development, slated to include 78 workforce housing units and 54 units set aside for seniors on a surface parking lot at Park Road and Lorton Avenue, south of Howard Avenue.

I'm reminded a bit of the old Boutique & Villager when I hear the working name for this "village", but I'll bet the ethos that existed when the B&V existed would not have looked kindly on this sort of thing.  Those were days when the small scale feel of the town was embedded in the press' mindset.  The results of the rent control vote would seem to say the general public still has some of that ethos, so I hope the Council really does listen to more than the squeaky wheels.  You would think with the building boom that is already going, the Peninsula Ave. overpass and B'way underpass concerns, the drive-in and PAMF projects under full steam and no new Rec Center in sight, there would be enough things to worry about without reducing downtown parking......

 

Another Ugly Addition

Yet another national chain has arrived on the Avenew and degraded the visual environment - in the front and back of their store.  Here is the Athleta sign on the BACK of the store looking into the parking lot.  Really?  Maybe they are trying to save the city a little money on parking lot street lights, but it ain't working for me.  I really hope someone in Planning measured the total size of the front and back signs and that it is within code.  If it is within code, code is too loose.

Endangered Burlingame Species

The writing is probably on the wall for every close-in Burlingame bungalow given the economics of tearing down a single-family home and going to condos near the core.  It's really quite sad.  With the monster growing on California Ave. and the number of already-approved projects plus what is in the works, we are on the precipice of a major change in the face of B'game.  That won't come as a surprise to any regular Voice reader, but knowing it's coming and seeing the scraped lot are two different things in my experience.

I was saddened to see this little gem of a very close-in bungalow that, like many others, had been carved into apartments over the years get the death sentence a few weeks back.  It's seriously cute, looks to be fairly well-maintained, and will be replaced by a big box.  I'm too much of a realist to think much can be done about the trend, but I can say I will miss it when it's gone.

Adios 21 Park Ave.  You are about a century old, if not more, and many people have crossed your threshold for the walk downtown and back.  You will be missed.

The location is in the Washington School zone so add the increased density to the Bayswater Ave. proposed project.  I'm not sure where all those kids are going to end up.

Nov 30 Update

An Lo and Behold, driving down Oak Grove yesterday morning I see the remains of two more bungalows.  When I saw the prices of the luxury condos two doors down from here (across from McKinley) a year ago, I knew these two were history--just did not know when.  Now I know....now

Apple Store Reopens

Apple has sent out notice of the B'game store reopening at 10 am on Saturday, Nov. 18th after a six month remodel.  The plywood case has been removed so we can now see the "new" Apple store.  It looks amazingly like the old Apple store except for perhaps some windows on the side; which the Planning Commission asked them to do years ago when the old store was first presented.

But wait, there is more.  One of the roving Voice photogs has passed along a sneak preview of the "new" inside of the store.  And to my eye it looks a lot like the old Apple interior.  They have a couple more days to spruce it up a bit, but unless that happens I fear I will always think of my high school wood shop as I enter (minus the saws, drill presses and lathes).  What do you all think?

The good news is the store will continue to generate nice sales tax revenue even at the new higher Measure I rate.

More Coffee and Juice, Really?

The most fun thing about gathering items for the Voice are the man-on-the-street conversations that occur when people see me taking pictures of seemingly mundane things.  That happened last night as I was taking this photo of the sign announcing the arrival of Joe & The Juice at the former Plant location on the Avenew.  Last night's woman-on-the-street version went like this

"Ugh.  Don't we have enough of these kind of places already?  Why can't they put a great restaurant in there instead?"

As much as I like the name, I just nodded my head, said "Really!" and thought it probably won't even last as long as the Plant did.  We'll see.

And there is still no regular entertainment venue anywhere in sight..............
 

Local Gem: PEZ Museum

The San Francisco Chronicle made a rare foray down to lil ole B'game to visit our friend Gary Doss and his PEZ Museum and wrote up a lovely review of the local gem

“I’m good, thanks,” said Doss, when asked by a museum visitor if he would like a raspberry-flavored Pez candy to chew over while he pondered exactly what he had gotten himself into 24 years ago when he opened the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia at 214 California Drive, a few blocks from the Caltrain station.

Inside the museum are 1,100 dispensers — at least one of every model made by the Austrian candy company since it began cranking them out in 1950.  The museum is one of those places that, if it cost more than $3 to go in, nobody would. A magazine named it one of America’s top 50 roadside attractions, along with the beer-can house of Texas, the shoe tree of Nevada and similar places that most parents have made a habit of driving past on road trips without stopping.

Fortunately, three bucks buys not only an admission ticket but a personal guided tour from Doss, a former computer salesman and metal worker who got hooked on Pez a quarter century ago at an antique show. He tossed the computers from the Burlingame storefront to make room for the Pez dispensers and has never looked back, even when — as on Thursday morning — only three people showed up.

Way to go, Gary.  As the giant new building rises across the street, let's hope over sized, glass-faced beasts don't consume everything quirky and quaint in town. 

City Council: Allot Seats by District?

Today's Daily Post has an article about a letter from a Malibu attorney to the city of Menlo Park "putting them on notice" that they should move to "district elections".  District elections divide a city into districts and allot a council seat to each district--so B'game would have five districts under this format.  The attorney, Kevin Shenkman, has sent similar letters to other cities and claims at least 15 have switched formats to avoid legal action.  The basic motivation is to attempt to increase minority council members--I'm not sure it works, but that is the motivation.

I've mused in the past on whether this would be good for Burlingame or not.  Before my wife was elected to the council, the South end of town was home to only Rosalie O'Mahony for years and years.  Southeasterner Russ served a half-term out for a seat that was vacated.  Now Donna Colson is a south-ender after moving from the north a couple years ago.

But I'm not sure how you would go about meeting some ill-defined minority objective without a gerrymander-looking district that captured the far east-side--Rollins corridor.  Ironically, such a district would look a lot like Malibu--long and thin!  But the issue in B'game, in my opinion, is more about over-development than representation.  If you don't live close to downtown, you feel less of the heat of over-development on a daily basis.  So would having 2 or 3 seats assigned to South-of-Broadway help?  Maybe.