Periods of rain. High 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
It was a literal shame that the historic Gates House was unceremoniously demolished this month, after standing proud for 118 years. It was damaged several years ago when the home next door, owned by the same couple, caught fire. The estimate to repair the lovely Queen Anne was $250,000, a fraction of its value and likely covered by insurance. The owners, however, had no intention of restoring the “Grand Dame.” Instead, they just put a fence in front and left it as a black eye on downtown.
This just a stone’s throw away from of City Hall. Our elected officials did nothing to prompt the owners to restore or sell the mansion. Instead, they issued a Public Works emergency permit to demolish, claiming that an intruder might hurt themselves.That allowed the owners to bypass the required Building Department hearing and California Environmental Quality Act review. That doesn’t pass the smell test.
The owners have also submitted plans for 14 condos on that property. As per the Downtown Plan, that property is zoned as commercial, and would have to be rezoned to accommodate the development. After destroying one of Burlingame’s most historical buildings, they want a favor from City Hall. What gall. If they get it, we know who calls the shots in Burlingame. The mission statement for Burlingame’s government is “to preserve the history.” Looks like that means nothing.
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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.