Bayfront housing rejected

"You make business decisions. Some are good, some are bad. And you live with it," she said, referring to the property owner at Anza Point, where the Burlingame Drive-in once stood.

Councilman Joe Galligan pointed out the fact that the median home price in Burlingame is $1 million and that the Bayfront is a good place to create housing for the city's workers, particularly since the proposed developer agreed to carve out 20 percent of the units at below market rates.

Galligan also pointed to the fact that the office and hotel market is languishing right now. Collecting some property tax from housing in a market that is growing is better than having vacant land producing nothing.

"I'd be happy to get $400,000 to $500,000 a year knowing it was never going to get less," Galligan said.

Before November, Galligan would have gotten his way.

The concept of housing on the Bayfront changed the political atmosphere in Burlingame last year when O'Mahony decided to endorse council candidate Terry Nagel over incumbents Mary Janney and Mike Coffey after both indicated they could support Bayfront housing. Nagel did not want housing on the Bayfront and was elected to the council in November. Janney was not re-elected.

In its vote, however, the council left a provision open to allow commercial recreation in some areas. It also asked the city's planning staff to study the concept of a time share hotel after a developer of a nine-acre site proposed it at the 11th hour. No plans are solidified, said developer representative John Ward.

The council's vote echoes that of the Planning Commission which rejected the addition of housing to the Bayfront despite the lure of approximately 450 units of housing with a mix of senior and affordable units.

Charmaine Curtis, of Curtis and Partners Development, met with individual commissioners before its January meeting to show grand plans for a mixed housing development on a nine-acre parcel at Anza Point, the southern-most portion of Burlingame's Bayfront. Despite the dearth of affordable housing in the area, the majority of the commission was left unconvinced that the Bayfront was the right location for such a project.

The new proposal for a time share comes on the heels of that rejection.

For 20 years, the Bayfront has been home to hotels, offices and other commercial uses.

Jon Mays can be reached by e-mail at jon@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 107. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.