Burlingame examines hotel parking rules

Though no decision was made, officials largely agreed the existing requirement to offer one space for each guest staying overnight or visiting an amenity such as the hotel’s restaurant or conference room was likely antiquated.

“I think all this wasted space could be used better,” said Commissioner Brenden Kelly, according to video of the meeting.

While other commissioners concurred, such a sentiment gave rise to additional questions regarding how the space made available through a parking reduction may be used.

Planning Director Kevin Gardiner said some hotels expressed an interest in operating a park and fly service from their lot, which could generate additional revenue for both the business and the city. Others suggested they might like to build a restaurant or expand the services offered to guests. Ultimately though, Gardiner said he would return to the commission later with more information regarding preferred uses.

While questions linger over next steps, there seemed a consensus among officials that the existing regulations need to be refined. To illustrate the room for improvement, some hotels are only using 20 percent of their parking lots on a daily basis, according to a city survey.

Officials attribute the high vacancy rates to the popularity of mobile ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, which many guests rely on when traveling. Also, most hotels offer free shuttles to San Francisco International Airport, which is the lifeblood of many hotels in northern San Mateo County.

Commission Chair Michael Gaul acknowledged the rise of ride apps in his support for a parking adjustment, while also noting that he rarely rents a car when traveling because the cost of parking overnight at a hotel is often burdensome.

To that end, the city survey shows the overnight cost of parking for a Burlingame hotel guest ranges between $20 and $30 per night, with valet rates rising as high as $35 per night.

Officials furthered their parking reduction case by noting that San Mateo requires hotels to offer only two spaces per every five rooms. Commissioners were reticent to support reducing the city’s policy to such a low ratio, for fear of an overcorrection resulting in hotels not offering enough spaces.

Those concerned about the threat of creating cramped or inadequate lots through an overly ambitious parking reduction noted the additional space potentially needed when a hotel hosts a special event or conference. Gardiner said though operators could hire a valet service to manage demand for specific days when they were afraid the existing amount of onsite parking may be insufficient.

Rather than overhaul the entire existing city mandate, officials suggested it may be more wise to allow hoteliers to seek conditional use permits for cutting down the amount of parking when necessary.

“Let them come up with a number,” said Commissioner Richard Terrones. “Otherwise, we have to come up with a number that addresses their unique circumstances.”

Gardiner agreed monitoring parking on a case-by-case basis may be the best approach, as not each hotel will be interested in reducing the amount of spaces available.

“Not everyone will jump in and say they want to do this,” he said.

While recognizing more work should be done to further refine the proposal Kelly summed up the perspective shared by most officials.

“I think we could find a better use for this parking,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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