Housing matters prevailed during the most recent Burlingame City Council meeting as officials balanced their best efforts to address the regional crisis against mounting pro-growth pressure from state legislators.
Officials examined the city’s progress in meeting its regional development allocation, promoted community discussions addressing housing issues and advocated for preserving their authority in managing such issues.
The various talks took place in the shadow of Senate Bill 827, proposed by state Sen. Scott Wiener to loosen density and development regulations in areas adjacent to public transportation stops as a means of incentivizing smart growth. The bill died Tuesday, April 17, in the state Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, but Wiener expressed interest in bringing it back during future legislative sessions.
Councilmembers largely opposed the initiative’s aim to strip authority from local officials, claiming elected officials are best suited to determine growth strategies for the communities.
“This one-size-fits-all approach is just not fair and it flies in the face of democracy,” said Councilwoman Emily Beach, according to video of the Monday, April 16, meeting.
Beach noted local control is essential in effectively considering the push for more housing against the community’s wish to do so in a fashion which often defers to their existing quality of life.
“We are really trying to do the right thing, and how we do it matters in order for it to be successful in this community,” said she said.
Wiener has said such a perspective is a primary reason why he proposed the bill, claiming elected officials overly critical of development proposals are a central source of the state’s housing imbalance.
Mayor Michael Brownrigg largely sided with his colleagues, but noted there may be some merit to concerns regarding inefficiencies in moving housing developments through the local approval process.
He cited the nearly four years it has taken the city to push forward the affordable housing and parking lot projects proposed on city land downtown as an example of the existing timeliness challenges.
“We do have a problem and we do need to find a way to move more expeditiously … but we don’t want to be told by Sacramento how to do it,” he said.
The downtown project offering 78 affordable units is one of the more sizable initiatives in the development pipeline which officials addressed during a discussion of the city’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
Councilmembers received a report updating Burlingame’s progress in meeting the allocation sent by the state seeking residential development needed to address the demand to live in the city.
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By 2023, the state has called on Burlingame to construct 863 units. Since 2015, 151 units have received building permits or been constructed, and there are an additional 618 units that are currently planned to come online before the end of the allocation cycle, according to a city report.
During the discussion Vice Mayor Donna Colson noted a more recent piece of legislation by Wiener — SB 828 — which aims to add beef up Sacramento’s capacity for enforcing housing allocations.
As it stands, legislators maintain little authority in requiring municipalities to build the suggested amount of units. Wiener has said he intends to reform the law to strengthen the state’s position.
Brownrigg too recognized the momentum toward ramping up enforcement tools for cities not meeting their development goals, and said it was reasonable to envision a future where such standards are considered “quotas not goalposts.”
Regarding units in Burlingame’s development pipeline, Beach noted many of the proposed units are market rate, and suggested officials keep an eye to assuring affordable units are built over the coming years as well.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said, synthesizing the perspectives of many of her colleagues.
To continue applying pressure on the issue, officials are planning another community discussion later this month detailing housing experiences in Burlingame.
The session planned Saturday, April 28, at the Masonic Lodge, 145 Park Road, is the second in the Home For All community engagement series, following an earlier discussion in January. At the upcoming event, officials are hopeful the conversation will turn to possible solutions for finding and keeping a stable home in Burlingame.
For his part, Councilman Ricardo Ortiz called on community members to attend the discussion.
“I encourage anyone and everyone to go to this next one because the first one was just wonderful,” he said.
The Home For All community housing discussion will begin 10 a.m. Saturday, April 28. Doors to the Masonic Lodge open at 9:30 for breakfast. Those planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP by visiting burlingamehousing.eventbrite.com or calling 558-7216.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
(1) comment
I began contributing to candidate for San Francisco Mayor, London Breed last week because of her strong, "pro new housing stock" position. I will donate to any Burlingame campaign if the candidate is a strong supporter of expediting new, multi-family housing stock in Burlingame.
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