After my recent column on trees and roads I received an email from Jennifer Pfaff , the Burlingame resident who has led the fight to save those eucalyptus trees and get them on the National Historic Register. Pfaff questioned some of my figures and we agreed to talk for a full update from her perspective.
Before making the call I googled Pfaff and found DJ reporter Austin Walsh had interviewed her in 2016. From his news story, I learned that Pfaff had been named Burlingame Citizen of the Year. She was president of archives for the Burlingame Historical Society and had been recognized by the Lions Club for her commitment to improving the community. She had become an expert in Burlingame architectural design guidelines, committed curator of the city’s history and passionate advocate for protecting the historic grove of eucalyptus trees along El Camino Real. She has lived in Burlingame since 1988 and realized the potential for community activism when she was able to get stop signs erected to protect children playing in the neighborhood.
Today, she is optimistic a solution can eventually be found to make the road safe and to keep as many of the existing eucalyptus as possible. But she recognizes that not all can be saved. She has high praise for Caltrans who is doing a thorough study on how to make the road safe and keep the historic look of these special trees. She also has high praise for the current and past councils who have worked hard to make this dream a reality. When Caltrans first indicated it had to replace part of El Camino Real which runs through Burlingame, former mayor Rosalie O’Mahony cautioned they had to deal with the trees. Later on Terry Nagel as mayor and current Councilmember Michael Brownrigg convinced Caltrans they had to look at the entire picture, which included the historic grove of trees. Since then, Caltrans has.
But first, a little history. The trees were planted in the 1870s by famous landscape gardener John McLaren who helped design San Mateo Park neighborhood and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. His work in Burlingame was commissioned by wealthy local property owners to enhance the value of their estates. By the 1920s, the city experienced explosive growth and some wanted to develop stores and other commercial property along this stretch of El Camino. But several business leaders fought back saying the trees were what made Burlingame distinct and an attractive place to do business. In the 1930s, voters rejected commercialization of the highway.
The next threat to the trees came a decade later with increased automobile use and traffic congestion. In 1948, the Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of citizens mobilized opposing the highway commissioner’s plans to widen El Camino Real and remove Burlingame’s famous trees. In the 1970s, Burlingame continued to promote the city with photos of the eucalyptus-lined road. And in 2012, the eucalyptus grove was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fast forward to today and the ongoing efforts are to improve safety on El Camino Real while at the same time ensure that the city will continue to be defined by the canopy of trees.
Without getting into all the details, and there are many, Pfaff indicated there were several scenarios Caltrans and the city were considering. One is to keep the existing four lanes or reduce them to two with a passing lane. The final product will include rehabilitated sidewalks and road. The second is to underground the utilities to facilitate new tree plantings and help preserve some of the existing trees. Aesthetically, it will mean both sides of El Camino Real can be treated the same. Undergrounding utilities is an expensive undertaking. Burlingame has invested in below-rate underground utility credits to help with costs to bury overhead wires, which will accommodate more trees of significant size. The city’s Pacific Gas and Electric credits now amount to $18 million to help pay for some of this. Not enough to cover the probable cost of an estimated $25 million.
The new trees under consideration are another species of eucalyptus that resemble the existing trees but do not create the same problems of root intrusion and road bumps. Today, no one will say how many old trees will have to go and how many new ones will be planted. But it’s a good sign Pfaff is feeling optimistic. And kudos to Caltrans and the city for making this such a unique team effort to save and improve a very special place.
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.