Could a parking garage help Broadway revamp?

“You could look at it as the carrot, or you could look at it as the stick, that MTC is tying its [One Bay Area Grant] funding to these policies,” Community Development Director Neda Zayer said.

Burlingame’s current zoning standards for the area allows for development of 101 new residential units — at 50-unit density per acre — and 127 new parking spaces.

MTC’s policy, however, would allow for 173 new residential units and no minimum parking spots to push for a transit-focused area, consultant Dan Amsden said. Amsden’s development firm is proposing Burlingame build that new housing on city-owned parking lots.

But because the future of the Broadway train station itself is uncertain, the Broadway redesign has been thrown into doubt — a consideration about which Burlingame councilmembers previously voiced serious concerns. Ongoing negotiations about a stalled grade separation project could mean the train station will stop operating entirely.

Project designers are operating as if a new train station will be constructed and the area will remain a transit hub, Amsden said, though changes could be made if necessary.

“There’s some question of whether the station will be a part of [the grade separation] or not a part of [the grade separation]. We’re trying to be flexible,” Amsden said. “This project is hoping grade separation and the station remain and become an active piece of the rest of this process. We are assuming it is going to happen.”

Should the project move forward as planned, commissioners warned that increasing housing density and limiting parking spaces — potentially creating parallel parking on Broadway — could become an issue and create greater congestion. It would likely be necessary to build a parking garage, multiple commissioners said.

“I remain very concerned about impacts on people. Parking is going to become worse, I think,” Commissioner Jennifer Pfaff said. “I’m having a really difficult time finding how the two can meet with what is allowable now as far as density.”

Former Traffic, Safety and Parking Commissioner Howard Wetten also advocated for a parking garage during the meeting and said his 11-year-old daughter had been hit by a car whose driver was looking for parking in the area.

“I think parking is so constrained at Broadway you really shouldn’t do anything there unless you’re willing to put a structure in,” he said. “I think that balance is essential. If you’re not willing to do a parking structure, you have to step back from any of these plans.”

Commissioners also suggested the possibility of creating one-way roads on nearby side streets to help alleviate congestion and the institution of a permit parking program, where only residents were allowed to park on those streets.

The area around the 1300 block is already filled with cars from visitors to the Broadway district, which could pose a safety issue for ambulances and makes it extremely difficult for residents to find parking, Commissioner Sandy Comaroto said. She suggested creating a permit program only for residents in those areas if development moves forward.

“This is not going to go over well,” she said. “People should not park on the street … unless you have a permit.”

Zayer emphasized the point of the Feb. 10 study session was to hear commissioner’s opinions on how additional parking lots — whether for the public or incorporated into the residential design — should be implemented.

“You have flexibility to design them the way you want to,” she said.