The Burlingame Voice

Peninsula Hospital: Risky Place to Be

Unfortunately I needed to go to the ER at Peninsula hospital last week.  Fortunately the care I received once I got in to see the doc and the nurse was great.  But the hour spent in the ER lobby left me feeling very unsettled--and not because of the laceration I was there to get treated.  It was apparently a busy time according to the staff comments.  There were at least a dozen people and sometimes more than 15 waiting.  The chairs (which I did not use) were somewhat haphazardly spaced and easily moved around.  There was no painter's tape on the floor, no plastic sheeting or Plexiglas dividers anywhere.  No bottles of sanitizer and towels for DIY cleaning like the grocery stores have for their carts.  Certainly no one came through to clean in the hour I was there.  Even putting Covid concerns aside (which none of us should do) there were several people who appeared quite sick, coughing and barely masked.

What's up with that?  If any restaurant in town tried that it would be taken to task immediately.  I have asked, via the email feedback form, to talk with someone in a position of authority about it, but no response in three or four days.  If you have to go--be very careful--unlike if you went to the barbershop on Park Rd. acroos from the old Post Office for example.

  

Self-aggrandizing Housing Advocates

I have to hand it to Cynthia Cornell.  I've been following Burlingame politics for 25+ years and I have seen very few people climb up on such a high horse as Ms. Cornell.  And that is saying something.  Rather than just opine about her, let's use her own words from a letter to the Daily Journal yesterday as evidence.  She is writing about a Peninsula Health Care District board meeting where she expects the board to just give away a huge chunk of B'game real estate to whoever can make "comprehensive 100% affordable senior and workforce housing" pencil out.  Any educated person knows that cannot be done without more taxpayer money being shoveled in at some point.  She then writes

There is no possible excuse to build any market-rate housing on public land during this housing crisis.

Really?  I'll bet I could walk into Lunardi's, Behan's, or Alana's and find dozens of people who might think "Gee, if it's public land perhaps the general public should get at least some of the benefit from its development instead of it all going to 'affordable' whatever".  They might think "mission creep" at our Health Care district is a bad thing.  Perhaps the community might think the sweetheart project on Lots F & N right downtown is enough of a public donation to her crusade.  She complains about board members Dennis Zell and Helen Galligan and puts words in their mouths that are quote-free and rely her impression of what was said, and then states

We (that would be the Royal "we") are shocked by the behavior  of these elected officials.  Were it not for the great leadership of Congresswoman Jackie Speier and support from state Sen. Hill and Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D- South San Francisco, the board would continue to ignore the community voice.

What blather.  Her Highness Cornell doesn't speak for the community.  She doesn't even speak for a third of the community from where I sit.  The woman has never run for anything; never mind actually win an election.  Zell and Galligan are both well-known in the community for years and have won elections.  This stream of nonsense will continue as it has for some time as noted here.

But if either Zell and Galligan did tell Speier's staffer to "stay in her lane" as Cornell asserts in her letter, I say "Good on ya."  Maybe they should stay in their lane, let the local electeds do their job - which in my mind means keeping our Health Care district out of the housing business -- an take the consequences at the next election.

Hospitals Are Not Housing Developers

Today's Daily Journal Guest Perspective comes to us from Rebecca Oyama who hails from "Housing For All Burlingame".  She also apparently serves on the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women.  Not sure if there is a Commission on the Status of Men, but we will leave that for another day.  Oyama went to a Jackie Speier Townhall about "affordable housing" and had issues with Dennis Zell's comments about the Peninsula Health Care District's mission in life.  Zell is an elected Board member along with a couple of other B'game locals, Frank Pagliaro (former councilmember) and Helen Galligan (married to former councilmember Joe Galligan).  As you can see from the link, there are five Board members--I only know of these three as active, informed locals.

Zell was on a panel with Speier, Sen. Jerry Hill,  Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, and county Supes Don Horsley and B'game supe Dave Pine.  The issue is whether our, emphasis on "our", health care, emphasis on "health care" should build affordable housing on Health Care District land--i.e. the big plot of land that the hospital sits on in North B'game.  Dennis Zell had the temerity to swim against the prevailing tide and assert that the District "is not an affordable housing developer"!  Imagine that?  A Board member who is asserting that a Health Care District is only in the health care business?  Oh my.

My favorite part of Oyama's screed is when she invokes the health care district's taxpayers "that paid for the land, many of whom now clearly need their support".  Well, Rebecca, as one of those taxpayers for 28 years allow me to say You Don't Speak For Me.  Dennis Zell notes the "silver tsunami" that is coming as the Baby Boomers age and what support they will need.  I have first hand experience over the last five years on what seniors need locally and I can assure you that what we have is good, but we are going to need a lot more of it.  You call it "exorbitantly-priced assisted living"--I call if covering the costs of living with dignity in your community as you get old.  Rebecca, you don't get to decide that "affordable housing" displaces what the Health Care District was founded and funded to do.  Sorry.  You are misguided.   

 

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.

The Grand Plan. Part 3. This is what it will look like

I managed to give you a sense of the many projects that are in the pipeline here in Burlingame. Some of which are quite large in scale—a few hundred housing units here and few hundred more there. Totaling an addition of over 10,000 more residents.

To give you a better sense, there is nothing like a picture to tell the story. Here are just a few...(taken from the city's own website.)

And an announcement of an upcoming meeting regarding a large residential development on Myrtle Rd. A meeting many of you may want to attend.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Note: These are just a few projects being discussed or approved. I could not find images of the proposal on the former Post Office Site

Above: 920 Lorton

Above: 225 California Dr at Highland

Above: 556 El Camino Real

Above: 1600 Trousdale

Above: Ariel view: Former Hyatt Cinema site, Bayshore Blvd.

Above: 1491-93 Oak Grove

Above: 988 Howard Ave.

Above: 1433 Floribunda

Above: Douglas Ave.

Above: Next to current Peninsula Hospital

Above and left: High density housing on Lot F with associated 5 story parking garage. Note: This project not yet approved.

Below: Upcoming meeting regarding project on Myrtle Rd and Bayswater

Hotbed of Development

The front page of today's Daily Post has a headline "City is hotbed of development" by Emily Mibach.  The city is us - B'game.  Emily has assembled a convenient list of recently approved or proposed projects including:

556 El Camino Real, 1128-1132 Douglas Ave., 21 Park Rd., 1491-1493 Oak Grove Ave., 1509 El Camino Real, 103 El Camino Real, 1214 Donnelly Ave., 1300 Bayshore Highway, Peninsula Wellness Center at 1740 Marco Polo Way, 988 Howard Ave., 225 California Dr., 300 Airport Blvd., 1600 Trousdale Dr., 1818 Trousdale Dr., 1800 Trousdale Dr., 1008-1028 Carolan Ave. (Summerhill), 1225 Floribunda Ave., 1433 Floribunda.

That totals 18 projects including some as large as 450 new bedrooms.  Maybe Trump was right and there really isn't a drought in California?  I really have no idea where the water will come from, nor the classrooms, nor the parking spaces.  You have to love the juxtaposition of the headline with the Cheesy Deals advertisement!

Hospital Economics

The Sac Bee considers Sutter Health to be a hometown enterprise, so they report on Sutter's financials.  Since Mills-Peninsula is our hometown hospital, I think along the same lines, so here is the latest financial report 

Sacramento-based Sutter Health reported net income of $81 million in 2015, a nearly 80 percent plunge from $402 million in 2014.  The nonprofit health system cited multiple factors that prompted the decline.

Sutter said it lost $142 million in investments and trading transactions last year, compared with a $39 million gain in 2014. The system said income from daily operations of its hospitals, care centers and other services totaled $287 million last year, down 31.5 percent from $419 million the prior year.

Sutter also noted that it invested $898 million in new facilities and life-saving technology throughout Northern California in 2015. Sutter said major earthquake/safety-related hospital replacements and renovations, plus new physician clinic construction projects, were ongoing throughout Northern California and the Bay Area last year.

The investment losses are understandable, but the 31.5% decline in operating income (might not be the exact right term but must be analogous to a regular company) merits another look.  No cause to go to emergency, though.

 

Trousdale: Senior Wellness Center

The Daily Journal has a piece describing the latest development on the lot that used to house the old hospital

The groundwork is set to be laid by Burlingame officials for a massive residential and health service development proposed by the Peninsula Health Care District slated to be built near Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.

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.

An official environmental impact report will be required for the project, but it is too early in the process to begin, said Burlingame Community Development Director Bill Meeker.  The council stands to approve during the meeting Monday a service agreement between the health care district with David J. Powers and Associates to conduct some initial steps of the environmental impact review, said Meeker.

It looks like the Hospital Redevelopment category will be vibrant for quite some time.  I'll take senior housing with multiple levels of care in one place near the hospital over so-called affordable housing right downtown ANYTIME.

RIP: Dan Anderson

A full year has passed since I noted that an old friend, Dan Anderson, was fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease and now I must note that the fight has ended.  The Daily Journal has a great piece that highlights the many avenues of contribution that Dan made.  The avenue that he was both an activist and a true subject matter expert on was the hospital redevelopment so here is a patchwork of the quotes in the article on that topic

(Cathy) Baylock said she also remembers Andersen’s participation in a variety of other community concerns, such as his role as part of Citizens for a Better Burlingame, which influenced the size and shape of the Safeway store before it was built at 1450 Howard Ave.

She also recalled his tireless work to influence the development of Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, during which time he spent countless hours fighting for the interests of neighborhood residents.  “He was a great activist,” said Baylock.

(Former councilman and mayor Joe) Galligan said the council relied heavily on Andersen’s perspective when deciding the best way to address the medical center issue.  “Because he was a positive influence, not a negative influence, we listened to him,” he said.

Andersen’s willingness to attend public meetings and fight in the best interest of residents gave the Burlingame community a faithful ally in a fight against a medical institution some did not trust, said Galligan.

Ultimately, finding a resolution which served the wishes of residents was due in part to Andersen’s hard work, said Galligan.  “There are a lot of people we can give credit to, without a doubt Dan watched every movement,” he said.

My thoughts and sympathies go out to Carolyn.  The circle of life can be very bumpy in places and I hope she is headed for smoother times.

"The Trousdale" Assisted Living Center

I did not intend to start a post on the topic of the proposed assisted living center on Trousdale, but the buzz around town and the forthcoming election caused me to change my mind.  I think the buzz started because more people than usual were watching the Council meeting on Oct. 23rd to see who would be appointed to the open seat vacated by Jerry Deal.  This agenda item was right before it hence well-viewed.  The front page article in the DJ on Thursday contributed to interest as well and noted

Meanwhile, the city brought up questions about the aesthetics of the building, including a chain-link fence property divider covered in vines not being up to par with the rest of the building.

“The original design was found to be very cold by the Planning Commission,” Nagel said. “Could you do anything for the fence itself? The chain link is kind of a step down from the character of this project. You can’t cover it all.”

The architects plan to look into alternatives. The financing is in place and the project represents six years of diligence, Cappel said.

“Your team (the council) has given us much to chew on and we have,” he said. “It meets the architectural requirements and fits into place beautifully at this point. It’s going to be welcoming to the community with a lot of glass and a lot of wood and will be open to community for classes.”

Other councilmembers had concerns about the fence and other features of the building.

“The wood brings an elegance to this building,” said Councilwoman Ann Keighran. “I’m not saying it has to be traditional; there’s ways of softening it. … It’s a corner building and much more prominent.”

The architects handling the project, SmithGroup JJR Architects, say they bring a knowledge of the region and local design aesthetics. The building will utilize Prodema metal painted wood to the exterior to make it warmer and to give it more character, said Joyce Polhamus, vice president of SmithGroup. The wood is easy to replace and lasts a couple decades, the architects added.

If you take a look at the Trousdale rendering on the DJ website (the link above) and then look at this sad little building in Millbrae you will see what she means by "bringing knowledge of the local design aesthetics" - unfortunately it reminds me of a really cheap hotel on the outskirts of Paris or Rome.  Do large (as in the seventh largest firm in the country) and local go together?  Then there is the Health Care District election next Tuesday with its own DJ article noting

Current board Chair Larry Cappel was elected to his first full term in 2010. Director Helen Galligan was elected to her first full term in 2006, while Director Dennis Zell was appointed in December 2013 to replace Joe Goethals, who was elected to the San Mateo City Council. Doug Radtke of Millbrae is running on a platform of combining the district with the Sequoia Healthcare District.

I'll leave the affordability question for another day, but it is interesting that the Daily Journal uses the first half of the article to discuss something brought up by all of two residents......

Read up and place your votes, ladies and gents!