What is the future of the Bayfront?: Burlingame councilmembers discuss recreation, commercial use, defense against sea-level rise 

It’s also an area that’s uniquely vulnerable to sea-level rise, which county agency OneShoreline is attempting to defend against with plans for a patchworked network of levees, seawalls and resilient onshore development.

Burlingame, as an early adopter of tight zoning standards on the Bayfront, has also attempted to mitigate the threat of sea-level rise with building standards that require new construction in the area to conform to a 100-year Federal Emergency Management Agency standard in exchange for upzoned parcels, which allow developers to build taller structures.

Recent state laws that loosen housing restriction in areas principally zoned for commercial and industrial use, like the Bayfront, would allow the city to ostensibly prioritize housing development in the area, however, councilmembers were wary of the concept. 

“I think the elephant in the room is housing, and that’s probably going to be the biggest question that the group wrestles with — should there be housing, if so, what kind? If so, where?” Mayor Michael Brownrigg said. 

It may be prudent for the city to continue to pursue more housing-dense development in the North Rollins and North El Camino areas, councilmembers said, particularly given the concern that Bayfront hotels and the revenue they provide to the city be “cannibalized” by housing and the subsequent school and police services it would require. 

“I don’t see a real feasible path to housing out there off the bat, unless it’s some very creative approaches,” Councilmember Peter Stevenson said. “I do think it changes dynamics that have long-reaching impact.” 

If Burlingame was to move forward with Bayfront housing, it might make more sense for it to be geared toward seniors or couples, Councilmember Donna Colson said, or potentially modeled after larger cities that have several stories of housing built atop hotels. 

She advocated for the city to think about the Bayfront as a place to develop recreation opportunities that would also benefit the hoteliers. 

“We are woefully, woefully short on recreation space in this city,” she said. 

The Bayfront continues to garner interest from commercial developers. Applications for future properties, if approved, could double the amount of built-out square footage in the area to 5.2 million square feet, staff said. The city should consider making it more inviting for employees who spend time there, Councilmember Desiree Thayer said. 

That could include incentivizing cafe and restaurant development, continuing work on the Bay Trail and recreational options like gyms, she said. 

“Let this be their playground before they go home,” Thayer said. “I think that would really help the area.” 

Ultimately, the most urgent and overarching challenge of the Bayfront is defending the land itself against sea-level rise and fortifying the Bay Trail and Bay-adjacent land against harm, Brownrigg said. 

“It is a beautiful levee that protects the entirety of the Bayside and probably also our homes upstream. That, I think, is the most important vision to both see and then execute,” he said. 

“No investor worth their salt will invest in a place if it’s going to get flooded in 10 years.” 

The city will continue to flesh out the Bayfront specific plan and take community input over the next two years, staff said, with a goal of adoption by 2028.