The Burlingame Voice

B'game Rating: #38

The wizards at the San Francisco magazine have rated all 101 cities and towns in the Bay Area and we came out at number 38.  By combining scores for Education, Diversity, Health, Transit, Affordability, Public Safety, Culture and their own fudge factor "Editors' Rank", they arrive at Albany being the best place to live in the Bay Area.  Six years ago we were labelled as a sort of Utopia by the same magazine, so let's dig in a bit deeper.  Here are the scores

I get the good scores for Education and Transit.  Our public schools are quite good in spite of occasional issues with administrators at BIS and BHS and there are a lot of residents with bachelor's degrees or higher.  I also get how we land near the bottom in Affordability since we have always been an expensive place to live--it is more a result of the other criteria than an input on its own.  But how is B'game in the bottom half on Health?  They use physicians per capita, air quality scores and percentage of residents without health insurance.  With a major hospital in town and doctor's offices surrounding it, we must rate pretty high on the first one.  I hear at the meetings on the SFO runway noise that some residents also smell jet fuel fumes, but I doubt our air quality is below the median.

The real head-scratchers are Public Safety on the downside and Culture on the upside.  B'game has recently returned to "full strength" with 40 sworn officers and crime rates (aside from car break-ins mostly at Bayfront hotels) are pretty low.  Oakland ranked just ahead of us at 57!  And they do mean Oakland, California!!  There must be some spreadsheet error somewhere at the magazine.

I also cannot fathom how we got to number 15 in the whole Bay Area on Culture when the critieria are artistic venues per capita (we've got none other than the tiny art museum on the north end), the number of residents who list their occupation as "artist" (on Open Studio weekends we have a couple), and liquor licenses per capita.  I guess if one considers drinking with muzak playing "culture" we do OK.  While #38 isn't bad, I can't take much heart in the overall subjective nature of it all.  You won't catch many B'gamers moving to Colma (#18) or Pacifica (#22) or Belmont (#24).  I bet we just stay put.   
 

Kicking the Can Down Broadway

City council meetings can be tedious to watch especially when the issue is pretty well split down the middle as it is with increasing the parking meter time limits to two hours on Broadway (from one hour).  But that is democracy in action.  Last night the city elders spent an hour hashing out the issues of space turn-over rates, pricing (B'way is CHEAP to park), doing a parking study and way-finding (that's traffic talk for having more intuitive signs).  Ancillary issues like the decline of pure retail as a percent of the businesses, giving the off-B'way lots real addresses so GPS can locate them for out-of-towners, updating the Access Burlingame app, and the validity of a "poll" or petition that originates with one merchant on behalf of the BID also took up a substantial part of the slow-moving hour.

A few things are pretty clear.  B'way has plenty of parking, it's just not all on the main street.  What is not on the main street is even more plentiful and longer-term and people who need more than an hour can get it cheaply.  I do that several times a week myself and can vouch for its availability.  We are apparently going down the route of adding EV charging stations somewhere on B'way, but hopefully that will only be one or two spots for the special few.  We also have not had a parking study done in more than 20 years on B'way and no one really knows how they are conducted these days or what would be learned for the $50K it costs (!!!).  About 40 minutes in, Mayor Brownrigg finally asked the obvious question that I asked myself five minutes into the discussion: "How many parking tickets are issued on B'way and is that number up/down/same as it has been historically?"  It would have been helpful to prep the BPD chief a week before so he could answer it during the meeting, but that critical question was left hanging.

In the end, the council decided to kick the can down the road.  They directed staff to work with John Kevranian (of Nuts for Candy and the BID president, pictured below) on better signage, assigning addresses to the lots and whatever other improvements can be made without going to two hour limits.  Council will revisit the issue in the spring after the holiday rush is over.  So for now, the one-hour limits stay in place and if you need more you just slyly refeed the meter or park where you are supposed to (off-B'way).

P.S.   Before the city spends $50K on a parking study, let's upgrade the chambers' video feed to HD, please.
  

More Avenue Woes: Books Inc. Closing

You can't chat with any local B'gamer for very long before you hear two things:  "I'm going to miss Orchard Supply in Millbrae" and "I wish the Avenue would stay more local" or words to that effect like "it's just an outdoor mall" or "why can't we have more non-chain stores" or "how many hair and nail salons does this town need"?  Here is news from the DJ about the closing of another chapter in the Avenue's story

After almost two decades of enduring a changing industry and local marketplace, independent bookstore Books Inc. announced it will be shuttering its location on Burlingame Avenue.   Though the parent company continues to thrive despite the threat to retailers posed by the trend toward online sales, (President Michael) Tucker said the decision to close had more to do with the transition taking place in downtown Burlingame.  “It’s just the reality of what goes on, that a low-margin business like books cannot compete for occupancy with the big boys, the national brands,” said Tucker, nodding to the corporations such as Apple, Lululemon or Pottery Barn which also occupy nearby storefronts.

You can click through to read the full story including kind words about Karim Salma (the landlord) and more of the DBID president's thoughts

Juan Loredo, president of the downtown business improvement district, said the company’s decision to leave is similar to the other tough choices faced by other local retailers.  “The internet kind of paved the way for these smaller places and retail shops to leave because everyone is online shopping,” he said.

And this is welcome news also

Tucker took time to note though that the company plans to preserve its connection with local schools and organizations in Burlingame which the company has partnered with over the years.

Maybe this is an opening for some bookseller to find space in a less expensive part of B'game to make another run at it.  I still miss the Feldman's that was a block north of B'way before consolidating down to the Menlo Park main store.

 

Avenue Woes

Austin Walsh at the Daily Journal has latched onto the concerns about rents and parking on "The Avenue" in this piece in today's paper.

The former homes to J. Crew, Anthropologie, Kara’s Cupcakes, Baby Couture, Aida Opera Candies and Gymboree are among the locations remaining unoccupied on the core commercial corridor.

Juan Loredo, president of the Downtown Business Improvement District, attributed the empty storefronts primarily to the inability or unwillingness of some companies to continue paying the high cost of doing business.

Juan makes the case for variety in the stores around the downtown and that certainly has been an issue as well.  The utter lack of any after-dinner entertainment is a glaring deficiency vis a vis Redwood City, Palo Alto and even San Carlos!   The ongoing parking issues also get mentioned but not analyzed (which is fine for a pure news piece) so we'll add some insight here.  Austin writes

Officials recognize parking constraints, and are planning to redevelop an existing surface lot into a garage offering 100 more spaces. On a neighboring lot, officials are seeking to construct an affordable housing development.

Business owners concerned about the loss of parking through the construction period have lobbied for the garage to be built before the housing development.

I'll bet there are more than a few business owners who also think adding a big chunk of new housing will only exacerbate the business-available parking.  They may be feeling the political-correctness pressure to not say so, but I bet they are thinking it.  With 220 California nearing completion and PAMF apparently pulling out of being the anchor tenant, we may see the impact of that under-parked monster building kick in long before any additional city parking even hits the drawing board.  We must also ask, "Where will the money come from?"

I felt that we had reached a tipping point when Anthropologie couldn't make it--and that pretty good, sizeable space is still available months later.  Keep the window paper handy.

B'way: Cleanliness is Part of the Picture

Broadway in B'game is viewed by some as the poor sibling to the Avenue.  My Bemoaning B'way post goes into some of the issues and commenters added on their perspectives mostly reinforcing the image.  As I said then, I kind of like B'way in the same sort of way that I like 25th Ave in San Mateo--it's more local and real.  The person with the closest view of the status of B'way is Gerald Weisl of Weimax who has provided me with this summary of recent clean-up efforts:

Having been spending much of its time tending to Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame's Public Works Department has responded to a hue & cry from both residents and merchants on Broadway.

The City sent a staffer in early August to spray the sidewalks with a high-pressure washing device and as one merchant described the results "It was more like the fellow was irrigating the concrete, not actually washing the sidewalks."  Three Broadway merchants, Weimax, Sutterfields and Preston's then hired a private company to clean the sidewalks in front of their stores.  They invited the Public Works leaders to come have a look.  A bit embarrassed that they didn't do the same quality of work, more Public Works staffers were dispatched to Broadway.

One crew splattered all the sidewalk dirt onto the freshly-painted Japanese restaurant facade at Broadway and Laguna, so a second crew was sent to actually clean up that mess.  A Public Works Supervisor reportedly told the merchants they might be interested in asking private contractors to bid on this sort of work (despite having full-time employees and high-pressure washing machinery).  Another Public Works manager reportedly said "We're not making excuses..." and " We unfortunately are required to focus more on  “quantity”,  as opposed to the quality of the cleaning."

As of this writing, the sidewalks are in considerably cleaner condition, but it only takes a few people to spill ice cream and soda onto the sidewalk, along with people depositing chewing gum.

We have the "ribbon-cutting" of the new B'way interchange on Thursday morning which brought out more Caltrans trucks than I have ever seen in one place on Saturday night around 10pm as they get ready.  I'm hoping for lane clarity and better flow as they "finish".  I would also suggest it might be time to ban 18-wheelers from B'way.  As one council member noted when I suggested it, there are now good alternatives to get around B'way.  So the time is ripe.  Let's hope the combination of traffic improvements, better cleaning and the Planning Commission's emphasis on good retail uses helps B'way stay vibrant--and local.   Here's the crew cleaning up

Quarter Cent Sales Tax Increase?

The City Council is considering a .25% increase in the sales tax which might raise $2 million per year for the City's General Fund.  That is an additional $125 dollars of tax on a $50K car from Burlingame's Auto Row, so not a big deal, but an increase nonetheless.  It would land on the November ballot and need a simple majority to pass.  From the FY15-16 Financial Report (page 32) we see Sales and Use taxes of $12,827,673, so two mil would be an uplift of %15+.  On a total "revenue" (that term always cracks me up when used to describe government intake) of $72,524,589 it would be about +2.8%.

B'way BID Boss Change

As noted earlier on another thread, John Kevranian is leaving the B'way BID and Ross Bruce is stepping back in on an interim basis.  Here is the Daily Journal article describing the changes

“What I’m doing here every day as a business owner I can do at a county or city level as a full-time job helping our community improve,” said Kevranian, who has operated his candy store at 1241 Broadway for more than two decades.

In stepping away from leading the organization designed to allocate fees collected from Broadway business owners to fund improvements to the shopping district, Kevranian, 49, said he is interested in taking a position in the city or county ranks where he can share his expertise as a problem solver honed through helping other burgeoning merchants launch their businesses.

I'm not sure I agree with this bit though

Looking ahead, Kevranian said there are many more challenges for his successor, such as improving street lighting and attracting larger retailers, said Kevranian.  “We need some recognized names for Broadway,” he said.

I'm on Broadway at least three times a week and one of the things that draws me in is the relative lack of "recognized names".  It's quaint like 25th Ave in San Mateo.  It's also very easy to park which is incongruent with larger, better recognized retailers.  Let's leave well enough alone.

B'game on the Ave 2016

Things were bustling on Day 1 of Burlingame on the Avenue.  I got the sense that this year's affair was better advertised than the past--even the SF Examiner freebie had it listed on the events page.  The bands drew a great crowd and while the vendors were a bit mundane, I can vouch for the paella being cooked in the giant five foot pan for $12 per plate.  Delicious.  It would be nice if the David's Tea or Philz people could move the recycling and garbage bins off the street into their alley.  The restaurants seemed to be doing pretty well also.  Maybe not as well as a regular weekend, but they were busy during the day and after the fair closed (at 6 pm) I'll bet it was good too.  Here's one of the two "statue guys"...or perhaps they are mimes.

B'way Trials and Tribulations

I feel for the merchants on Broadway since they seem to have challenges that surpass those on the Avenew or elsewhere in town.  The Avenew merchants have to deal with a lot of snatch and grab theft.  But on B'way there is the "Birdman" who feels the need to feed the pigeons who then feel the need to excrete.  And now, from the Daily Post Police Blotter we read this

Saturday

1:40 pm - Citizen reports that a homeless person pooped near the business and walked away, Broadway.

That cannot be good for business.  Are we approaching the point where it is time to add a JC Decaux public toilet a la EssEff?  That is possibly the smartest thing SF has done in the last decade.

Philz Arrives

I'm finally convinced by the hiring sign out front and a couple of weeks of straight work happening inside that the second biggest eyesore in downtown is going to be cleaned up and occupied again.

The arrival of philzcoffee should keep our downtown techies and realtors happy since java will move in next to David's Tea for their caffeine fixes.  Heretofore one could only get philz by the bag at Mollie's.  With Prestige liquors moving off the Avenew and into a space a couple doors down, that section of Primrose is finally looking up.