Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Burlingame public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
6 issues in development with high priority
Downtown height limit change and five-story Chapin Avenue building
Colson and Brownrigg want Chapin Street in front of the new City Hall re-envisioned as a civic plaza; the adjacent developer may pay for much of it, and a concept will come back to Council.
Bay Rise Park Appeal at 410 Airport Boulevard
A councilmember has appealed the Planning Commission's approval of the 410 Airport Boulevard project, sending it to the City Council for a new hearing.
Mercy skilled nursing facility and apartment proposal
121 of roughly 570 trees on the hospital site come out for the carports, though protected coastal redwoods were spared in a redesign. Commissioners, uncomfortable with the loss, added a condition that 33 replacement trees be planted on the 20-acre site.
County Bayfront land purchases on Old Bayshore and Mahler Road
San Mateo County is closing on the Old Bayshore/Mahler Road properties, planning a sobering-and-detox facility and nonprofit space. Burlingame has asked for a police substation, but Horizon's participation and its $25 million in state funding remain uncertain.
144-unit housing project at Park Road and Peninsula
A seven-story, 144-unit apartment building with 12 below-market-rate units replaces the funeral home and gym at the gateway to downtown. State laws (SB 330, AB 130, density bonus, AB 2097) heavily limit what the city can require, so the fight is mostly over design details like sidewalk width and landscaping.
North Rollins Road Specific Plan build-out
With the Broadway grade separation possibly never happening, Colson proposed studying a grade-separated bike/ped bridge over the Caltrain tracks near North Rollins Road to connect new housing to schools and Broadway. Colleagues agreed to explore it.