Former historic site OK for Burlingame rebuild

Councilmembers lauded the new plans for the site, claiming the proposal will yield housing and shops near downtown and activate a key portion of the city.

“I’m very enthusiastic about this application. It’s an opportunity to add more housing. It’s the perfect location — near transit, shopping and our civic assets. And I think it is just going to be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Donna Colson.

Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien Keighran agreed.

“It is the perfect location,” she said.

Plans call for the units to be spread in the top two floors of the development over a ground floor, where 4,700 square feet will be reserved for businesses. Of the residential units, 12 will be two-bedroom units and two will be one-bedroom units. The development is slated to offer 23 parking spaces.

Previously, the site was occupied by the home constructed in 1900 by the city’s first stationmaster G.W. Gates until it was demolished in 2018, following a 2013 four-alarm fire.

The damaged building sat vacant after the blaze that was started by the floor heater in a neighboring building. The fire’s toll was clear from the charred exterior, visible behind a fence downtown.

Estimates suggested the property sustained nearly $250,000 worth of damage in the fire. A city report claimed the demolition was necessary as the vacant structure was becoming a public safety threat and a harbor of illicit and illegal activity by trespassers.

Gates, also the city’s third postmaster, commissioned to construct the building on Burlingame Avenue around 1900. He then had the house moved to its current location on Donnelly Avenue in 1917. It was deemed to be a historical building, eligible for listing on the local and national registers, around 2008.

The home ultimately met a different fate than the Murphy House, which last week was moved from Douglas Avenue to Oak Grove Avenue due to its historic significance.

Though the land occupied by the former home of the James Murphy, who served as an early city stationmaster and later worked as city clerk, was slated for redevelopment, the builder opted to move and preserve the front portion of the structure. The home will be rebuilt on its new site.

For the Gates House, Councilman Ricardo Ortiz said he believes the redevelopment project will give way to a crown jewel of the neighborhood.

“It fits everything we want the downtown to look like,” he said.

In other business, councilmembers also approved sending a letter to state officials advocating to allow local hoteliers to host gatherings of 50 people or fewer.

The letter to the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom is sent at the request of the local travel industry representatives who claim their facilities are adequately safe to host small groups of guests again.

As state officials have planned reopening strategies amid the pandemic, allowing such functions has been overlooked, said John Hutar, president and CEO of the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“This issue of meetings has got stuck and we are hopeful this letter will give the fulcrum some energy to break loose,” he said.

Recognizing the city’s reliance on tax revenue generated by stays at local hotels, a city staff report suggested meetings of up to 50 people would increase occupancy and give businesses a needed boost.

The request came one day before state officials allowed San Mateo County to loosen restrictions on local businesses, as the area moved up on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list.

Indoor dining, theaters, places of worship, museums and zoos at either 25% or a capacity of 100 people, depending on which is fewer, are permitted to operate again. Malls and all indoor retail will be permitted to operate at 50% capacity while gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to open at 10% capacity, according to the decision Tuesday, Sept. 22.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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