Burlingame affordable housing, parking structure move ahead

Following years of deliberation, revision and examination, officials agreed they were finally comfortable with the design of the proposal from Pacific West Communities to redevelop parking lots F and N.

Commissioner Richard Terrones lauded the progression of the residential development’s design, according to video of the meeting.

“It’s dramatically different … I think the project is supportable at this point,” he said, in advance of the vote.

Commissioner Will Loftis agreed.

“I like the project. … There’s some good changes that happened,” he said.

Under the commission’s unanimous approval, councilmembers will soon consider the proposal to build 132 units in a five-story building at parking lot F, on Lorton Avenue, between Howard and Bayswater avenues. Of the units, 78 will be set aside as workforce housing and the remaining 54 will be reserved for seniors.

Officials initiated the effort to build the project roughly four years ago, as part of an attempt to use public property to combat the affordable housing crisis while also building more parking downtown.

The proposal also raised concerns among downtown merchants that construction on the lots would temporarily compound existing parking congestion, as the development would take two frequently used surface lots away for an extended period of time.

In recognition of those concerns, David Mendell, of Kern Jeweler’s, encouraged officials to build the garage first to assure downtown shoppers are offered a place to park during construction. Previously, Mendell has said the existing lack of parking is a burden to his business, as many patrons will avoid shopping in downtown Burlingame due to their struggle to find an available spot.

But resident Mike Dunham offered a different perspective, claiming the community needs the affordable housing more than the additional parking and called on officials to build the residential development first.

“Keep this project moving, it’s been four years in the making and we need it as soon as humanly possible,” said Dunham, of the affordable housing development.

Ultimately, officials said the Burlingame City Council will have the final say in determining the order of construction.

For the parking structure, officials approved the proposal to redevelop the adjacent parking lot N into a garage with 384 spaces spread across five floors.

Commissioner Richard Sargent expressed his appreciation for the design of the proposal, which has evolved over the years.

“I think it has improved a lot since its first iteration,” said Sargent.

Support for the design was not unanimous though, as commissioner Brenden Kelly said he felt the look of the project was not refined enough for its prominent placement downtown.

“I think for its location, where it is adjacent to residences, I think it’s a little too rough around the edges for a midblock parking structure in downtown Burlingame,” he said.

Kelly was the sole dissenting vote against the parking structure, while support for the residential proposal was unanimous. Officials did ask though for the developer to return with more details about some of the accent design features of the garage, and possible revisions to the windows of the residential building.

Also related to windows, officials approved the use of vinyl in a residential development proposed along Bayswater Avenue, closing the loop on concerns expressed last month regarding their look.

Officials unanimously approved allowing Fore Property Company to use vinyl windows in a 128-unit development, despite previous fears the materials would make the project look unattractive.

The developer though claimed the windows were the best in their class, and most effectively addressed soundproofing requirements generated by the development’s proximity to the train tracks.

Officials made clear they did not like vinyl windows, but suggested they were comfortable with the use in the Bayswater project, especially in light of the rest of the amendments made to recognize other design concerns.

“I’m not a fan of the vinyl window but I think that the applicant has changed enough of the rest of the exterior materials to find a middle ground,” said commission Chair Michael Gaul.

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