Burlingame Broadway development revamp raises concern

Major tenets of the proposal highlighted enhancing gateways to the Broadway district, accommodating new higher-density housing and creating a transit destination area as well as improving pedestrian and bike mobility, among other goals.

Suggestions presented at the meeting included widening sidewalk space, providing flexibility for temporary and permanent small-scale and experiential retail and kiosks, expansion of outdoor amenity areas, installing murals and public art pieces and building new housing while staying true to the character of the district, among others.

But the plans — which could include removal of an unspecified amount of parking required for some of the designs and drawings of a reimagined gateway to the Broadway district — didn’t seem to clearly take into account economic and developmental realities, Brownrigg said.

Both Brownrigg and Councilmember Donna Colson expressed concern around the suggestion that a number of parking spots could potentially be removed to make way for wider sidewalks and high-density housing. While the plan could be a success if community members desired it, Colson said she was concerned by the lack of community feedback.

“I want to hear from them. I want to make sure they understand that,” she said.

Work on the Broadway Specific Plan began April 2023, with the formation of a community advisory committee, two community meetings and a community survey, along with various background reports, that were used to create the vision framework presented to the City Council. The goal of the project is to bring vitality to the district with increased foot traffic and local business while also creating transit-oriented development in the area.

Another ongoing issue at play is the uncertain future of the Broadway train station, which is tied to the fate of the nebulous grade separation project. Currently, grant funding is being supplied and housing options are being proposed with the assumption of proximity to a transit station, Community Development Director Neda Zayer said.

“We’ve been proceeding with the specific plan under the assumption that the station is going to remain and is going to provide a level of service to this area,” she said. “Should that change in the future, we can have future discussions.”

That precariousness makes moving forward with any form of development challenging, Colson warned.

“We want to make a plan that’s going to work effectively with the reality of the transit in the area,” she said. “Putting a plan together when we don’t know the outcome of the transit is, I think, a very difficult situation.”

Only one resident of the area came to the meeting, expressing ongoing reservations around the project. She had attended a previous community outreach meeting, she said, and found options to express those reservations lacking.

“There’s no place to say ‘leave us alone, don’t do this, don’t change anything,’” Linda Field said.

The city needs to be careful in how it proceeds and continue to solicit as much community feedback as possible, Colson said.

“This plan either can be a star and a model for the Bay Area in how you can do dense transit-oriented development and create community, or it has the potential to go so run amok and off the rails that we are the poster child for bad policy and planning,” she said.

The Broadway Specific Plan Project Update and Emerging Vision Framework Discussion will be part of a study session by the Planning Commission, 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, at City Hall, 501 Primrose Road.