Burlingame city officials imagine new Rollins Road

The area was identified by officials in the updated general plan as a zone to build new homes, due primarily to its proximity to public transportation hubs such as the Millbrae train station and Highway 101.

But before any final decisions are made regarding land use changes, planners and city officials discussed amenities and features they would like to see built along the stretch of Rollins Road north of Broadway.

Commissioner Richard Terrones said he would favor allowing a mix of uses in the area, preserving space for industrial companies while enhancing it to draw residential and other commercial developers.

“There is an opportunity for a multitude of things to happen in this area that could work together in some kind of harmony once it is well planned and detailed to create a neighborhood,” he said.

Commissioner Sandy Comaroto shared a similar perspective, encouraging officials to consider allowing a variety of different land uses.

“I’d really love to see some creativity in that area and I think it is a perfect place for it,” she said.

Comaroto suggested the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara, which allows for live and work space near industrial companies, could be a model for the area in Burlingame.

To draw such development interest, Comaroto said plans should include sidewalk and bike lane improvements to make it more accessible for residents and pedestrians. She said more open space, public art and landscaping would be appreciated as well.

Comaroto imagined an area that could host night life and outdoor dining, offering amenities to residents living in the new apartment complexes under construction nearby.

Commissioner Will Loftis held a less firm opinion on the issue though, suggesting officials should pick a direction for the area before determining preferred features.

“The trick is to figure out what make this place a destination? Or what it would be that would make people want to live here?” said Loftis, who was reticent to consider the area a neighborhood before more defining characteristics were established.

Commissioner Michael Gaul too warned against imagining this area of Rollins Road as a neighborhood, suggesting the existing tenants in the area provided a great value to the community.

“I would be cautious not to get rid of all those industrial uses and push all those people out,” said Gaul, who feared converting the road to a mixed-use destination would yield traffic congestion and complicate matters for businesses depending on the existing businesses.

For his part, Commissioner John Schmid too anticipated challenges with protecting the area’s character while also introducing new amenities and businesses.

To make for a gradual evolution, he proposed softening the corners of streets by prohibiting industrial uses from occupying entire blocks and allowing businesses accommodating residents to use those spaces.

Terrones made a similar proposal, suggesting that corner markets can be useful instruments in converting an area oriented solely for businesses into one accommodating residents.

Rather than establish the area as a destination for visitors from outside of the area, Terrones said a more tactful approach could be starting to make it more accommodating to people living or working on Rollins Road.

For his part, Community Development Director Kevin Gardiner said he believed the feedback from the commissioners will be useful for officials as they continue refining the vision.

“These are some great insights we have here,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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