New towers approved on Burlingame Bayfront

The current address for the four sites is 1669 and 1699 Old Bayshore Highway and 810 and 821 Malcolm Road.

The site would have a north campus consisting of a seven-story, 193,380-square-foot office building, while the southern half would have an eight-story, 282,410-square-foot building, and a separate 900-space parking garage. The buildings would be 60% labs and 40% office use, with the seven-story site 120 feet tall and the eight-story building 135 feet tall.

The project site has four vacant mixed-use buildings that would be torn down and replaced with two larger parcels separated by Malcolm Road. Recent tenants include Joe’s Café, Burlingame Heating and Ventilation, and King of Thai Noodles. The site is bounded by Stanton Road to the south and Old Bayshore Highway to the east, while Malcolm Road is in the center of the campus, running east to west from Old Bayshore Highway. Nearby properties include the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel, the U.S. Postal Service Office, and office parks.

The main entrance will be on Stanton Road, with three additional proposed driveway access points for the campus that are located on Malcolm Road. Site improvements proposed include streetscape changes along Old Bayshore Highway, new open space and paved plazas on Malcolm Road and a raised crosswalk on Malcolm Road at the west side of the site. A connection path to the main Burlingame Bay Trail is located across Old Bayshore Highway from the project site.

The property owner and applicant is King Bayshore Owner, LLC. Peter Banzhaf of Helios Real Estate, representing the ownership team, said the developer is dedicating $100,000 to the city for future Bay Trail improvements. Banzhaf said that a farm-to-table causal restaurant cafe in the style of Mendocino Farms is also in the plans. According to Banzhaf, a preliminary developer report found the city will get a $690,000 annual fund revenue bump and $9.5 million in impact fees.

Several commissioners said the ownership group has been receptive to comments for change to benefit the community and Burlingame, like trying to move trees in the area to new locations, including a cafe and adding a walking plaza. The commission held two study hearings for the project and made several changes.

“They’ve come a long way, and I think the outdoor area is going to set a precedent that I hope we see in a lot of the future projects down in that area,” Chair Michael Gaul said. “I’m wholeheartedly in favor of this project.”

Lisa Kershner, the general manager of the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel nearby, gave her and the ownership group support for the project. Kershner said additional investment in the area would help the hotel amid a difficult time following the pandemic, noting many guests want more to do in the area.

“I can’t say enough about what this will bring to our community and to Bayshore Airport Boulevard,” Kershner said.

The commission unanimously approved an application for permits related to building heights and increased floor area ratio, the site parcel map and commercial design review.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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