Burlingame green-lights loosened building rules

The decision pertaining to specific areas identified as suitable for accommodating increased development is aligned with a larger effort to catalyze construction through the city’s forthcoming general plan update.

Commissioner Richard Terrones supported the vision which will likely give way to construction of larger and more densely populated residential developments or mixed-used projects.

“These are areas with the general plan that are identified as potentially undergoing the most change, so I think having these interim standards will be beneficial,” said Terrones, according to video of the meeting.

Commissioner Brenden Kelly shared a similar perspective.

“Our goal was to enliven these areas but also make them more pedestrian friendly and make them feel less like industrial or business parks, and I think it is a pretty solid framework,” he said.

Under the decision, commissioners recommended the Burlingame City Council approve boosting allowable floor-area ratios and building height limits in the northern stretch of the city along El Camino Real and near Rollins Road.

The floor-area ratios could reach a cap of 140 units per acre at the most dense allowable development standards, in return for developers offering community benefits such as affordable housing, open space and other amenities.

“If a developer wants more density, there is a give and take,” said Terrones, characterizing the compromise required to achieve such standards.

The given floor-area ratio could lead to construction of buildings ranging around seven stories, said Community Development Director Kevin Gardiner.

Areas where buildings could be built tallest would be required in the center of the identified zones, and would taper off in size as the developments approach surrounding neighborhoods, noted Gardiner.

Officials have identified the areas as preferred growth zones due to their proximity to public transit hubs, such as bus lines which run along El Camino Real or the BART and Caltrain station in Millbrae, just across the city’s northern border. The Millbrae train station is also identified to be a future high-speed rail stop, once the transit system expands into Northern California.

Ultimately, the action will be taken by the Burlingame City Council in the upcoming approval of a new general plan, as officials are looking to update the city’s planning document for the first time in decades.

For his part, Terrones suggested he favored approving the change due largely to its consistency with the general plan update, which has been discussed by officials and community members for years.

“I’m comfortable with this moving forward,” said Terrones.

Also on the northern end of town, officials approved a request from Facebook to establish a shuttle and bus storage facility at 1846 and 1860 Rollins Road.

The properties will be repaved and stitched together to accommodate vehicles transporting workers who will occupy the social media titan’s new Oculus campus which is under development along the Bayshore, as well as other company stops along the Peninsula. The services will only accommodate Facebook employees.

The site will eventually serve as storage for 92 transit shuttles including single and double-deck buses and vans, which will depart around between 3:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. and the drivers will leave the property around 8 p.m. About 100 employees will work from the site and a majority of the workers will be drivers.

Because the expected trip times were outside of peak traffic hours, officials were comfortable with the proposal.

Attorney Mark Hudak, who represented applicant, said the site is an ideal property for the facility, considering its proximity to Highway 101.

“This is about as good of a location as we can find,” he said.

Kelly agreed.

“I think this is approvable,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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