Tinkering with a low-rise formula
By John Horgan
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 am in Uncategorized.
Be careful what you wish for. Maybe that ought to be the mantra for those investigating the possibility of adding multi-story buildings in what are, essentially, small-town business districts. A number of San Mateo County suburbs are considering making that shift. Their argument can be compelling: Tall structures can include both commercial and residential components while increasing the tax base. All well and good, at least on paper. But, in reality, things don’t always work out as planned. Take Burlingame for example. There, a major debate on this issue is heating up. There is a very tentative proposal to permit certain areas of the hamlet’s downtown area to have buildings as high as 75 feet. That would be a significant and rather stark change for a century-old place that prides itself on its cozy, tree-lined atmosphere. Ironically, within a block of what is technically defined as downtown, a massive, eight-floor apartment building on El Camino Real a block from Chapin Avenue already appears to tower well over that height limit. It sticks out like a sore thumb. So do two old, smaller AT&T switching facilities masquerading as office buildings near the corner of Burlingame Avenue and El Camino Real. It is highly unlikely that either of those structures would be allowed today. The point is that, in spite of these obvious anomalies, tinkering with a thriving low-rise formula would be dicey. Towns like Burlingame (and Menlo Park, San Carlos, Millbrae, San Bruno, Half Moon Bay, etc.) have long tried to maintain a friendly village ambience based, in part, on maintaining a non-city look and feel. Isn’t that the point of the suburbs in the first place? People move to the Peninsula to escape life in the city, whether it’s San Francisco, San Jose or Oakland. Things tend to slow down a bit here. There is a certain undefined intimacy involved. Seven-story buildings, if they do come to pass in any great numbers in Burlingame, would alter that in fairly dramatic ways. The betting in this corner is that, in the end, they won’t see the light of day. The change would just be too much. Smaller will wind up being better. By the way, for further comparison, check out the closed Benjamin Franklin Hotel in downtown San Mateo. That building is eight stores tall, plus a penthouse. The shadow cast by that structure is considerable. Imagine that edifice in the middle of Burlingame Avenue. Ouch.
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July 24th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
OK, let’s get serious. The Burlingame people who know what taste and class are gathered together several years ago to prevent the emergence of a Safeway Big Box. And that is all to the good. One would love to see Burlingame, and all the town along the Peninsula, gather the balls necessary to break any ideas of building high rises between the good people of the area and the waterfront. God! Kingston, a wonderful town on the confluence of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River–look it up on your google–failed to halt the advance of the high rises and now there is no, get it, NO, view of the waterfront from a number of venues. High rise here means 20 stories. And in this historic site–google it– that sucks. So gather together and turn into a posse of caring people and stop the high rise businessl…..Horgan is right, yes, very right, indeed always right, and he tells it like it is.
STOP THAT KIND OF SIGHT AND SITE BLOCKING DEVELOPMENT.
Yes, I visit the area many times and am sad to say that I have tears in my eyes when architecture and edifice complexes trump comoon sense.
July 30th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Rock on, Geoff and John. You don’t fix what ain’t broken…..and Burlingame ain’t broken!
August 1st, 2008 at 5:00 pm
One of the apparent reasons for this latest shift in downtown thinking is what has been dubbed “transit-oriented” development. In other words, build taller structures featuring small living units located relatively close to public transportation. Sounds great on paper. However, in practice, this form of urbanization (loved today by various green groups and their allies) will clearly alter the nature and character of San Mateo County suburbs. And maybe that’s what people want. It’s not entirely obvious right now. After all, those of us who have happily lived in these parts for 60 years have a vested interest in keeping things pretty much as they are. But the cost of housing has skyrocketed, even with the current downturn in real estate values. Something has to give. Let’s just hope that the local planners are judicious and conservative as they plot the future. There’s a lot at stake.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Times have to change - even in Burlingame - there is a need for TOD and housing and Burlingame should not be exempt from sharing the load of sensible city planning with housing downtown.
No large “edifices” will happen on Burlingame Avenue but Chapin and Howard are prime opportunities for careful (yes careful) and well designed mixed use properties which will enliven those wide streets and bring in housing for those who want to live downtown to be near our amenities and our transport system.
Housing downtown is a sensible way to plan our cities and - never fear - our single family homes will still be here, nobody is going to be herded like cattle into highrises, our downtown will continue to thrive and we will be planning our cities in a careful - yes careful - and responsible way.
Despite the hysterics around sky rocketin’ high risin’ buildings that are going to mushroom overnight all over the hamlet called Burlingame, Burlingame will survive and is not doomed by moving forward into the next century!
August 4th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Modest buildings make sense. True high-rises, like the one a block from Chapin, would alter the character of downtown for sure. Look at the old Benjamin Franklin Hotel in downtown San Mateo for another comparison. It is eight stories with a penthouse. As you well know, there is housing in downtown Burlingame now. Not a lot, but certainly some rentals. There is even a hotel. The question really is: How far do planners want to go to alter the successful atmosphere in Burlingame’s downtown core? Once they proceed, it will be very tough, if not impossible, to go back if they botch things. Messing with a formula that works is dangerous business.