Month: July 2006

  • Please not like Burlingame Avenue

    From Examiner – Burlingame's Broadway pulses with new business

    Burlingame, Calif. – Broadway is about to experience a mini-boom of restaurants getting ready to open shop, a move officials and merchants think will be a shot in the arm for the city's northern shopping district. A year ago, the city relaxed its moratorium on restaurants in the Broadway shopping district at the request of several merchants and residents near the district. The ordinance, which previously decreed a 23-restaurant limit on Broadway, was amended to allow for five more, city planner Meg Monroe said.

    Merchants were looking for a bakery in particular, something comparable with Copenhagen on Burlingame Avenue. They got their wish with Chocolate Mousse Bakery, set to open by summer's end, which is joining the nearly finished Broadway Grill and Joanie's Happy Days Diner, Broadway Business Improvement District President Ross Bruce said. Rocca's Ristorante, an Italian restaurant, opened in June. An art gallery is set to open on the 1300 block of Broadway and a women and children's clothing shop, Blue Skies off Broadway, is also set to move soon to the thoroughfare. Shannon Yaryan, owner of Blue Skies off Broadway, said she is moving from her old location on Capuchino Avenue because she needed a better location and more space. The coming restaurants, she said, should bring a number of new shoppers and diners to the area. Dana Kern, who co-owns the bakery with her husband, Joe, also runs branches in San Carlos and Redwood City. I'm very excited about going back to Burlingame,? said Kern, who was raised in the city.

    The original moratorium on restaurants stemmed from a concern that the city would be overrun with them, Monroe said. In the mid-1980s, the city created a moratorium for Burlingame Avenue and then one for Broadway shortly after. An economic study released in May found that the restriction actually pushed some restaurant owners to nearby cities like San Mateo. An arbitrary limit on any business prevents natural turnover, according to the findings. But the city still needs to keep the delicate balance between retail and restaurants in order to stay vibrant, Monroe said. I think Broadway continues to strengthen, because there are merchants who are genuinely interested in making it work,? Monroe said. Though the district may be pulsing with new life, City Manager Jim Nantell doesn't believe it will ever replace Burlingame Avenue, or vice versa. While Burlingame Avenue has been a regional shopping draw for years with several chain stores, Broadway remains a neighborhood staple. They'll do whatever they can to stay viable, but they don't want to be Burlingame Avenue,? Nantell said. They serve very different niches.?

    Absolutely right … we don't want Broadway to be like Burlingame Avenue, comment by Fiona

    – Written by Fiona

  • Strutt your Stuff!

    To get us into the mood for Broadways Pet Parade on September 23rd, the Mutt Strutt Dog Walk & Fundraiser will be held at Coyote Point on Saturday, August 19th. Enjoy beautiful Coyote Point with your canine friend (and people friends!) between 9:00 am – 1:00 pm with music, dog demos and the opportunity to enter your dog in the "Best Kisser" and "Most Talented" contests. The registration fee is $26 in advance, $28 online and $30 on the day of the event. Call 340-7022 x 375 or go to http://www.phs-spca.org

    Great way to help raise money for the Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA.

    – Written by Fiona

  • New Airline Economic Boost

    The Examiner's article – Officials expect economic burst from new airline.

    Burlingame, Calif. – Local officials are preparing for a much-anticipated economic boost from Virgin America, a low-cost airline hoping to start running flights this year out of their hub at San Francisco International Airport.The American company started by Virgin Atlantic mogul Richard Branson and now owned mostly by American shareholders released a study on Tuesday delineating the economic benefits of their presence in Bay Area. The study, researched by consultants Campbell-Hill Aviation Group and funded by Virgin America, found that the company would create thousands of jobs, save passengers hundreds of millions annually and bring more than 1.7 million passengers in and out of the Bay Area. All of that will contribute to a stronger tourist industry and stronger overall economy,? San Mateo County Supervisor Mark Church said. County officials expect these figures will bode well for their coffers. A 2004 report by the Bay Area Economic Forum found that a new domestic carrier flying 70 flights a week would generate nearly $24 million annually in state and local taxes, generated from airport operations and tourism. As the county typically does when large employers set up shop here, Church plans on suggesting several county residents for the available jobs. Many of them were displaced from the airport when the travel industry went sour following 9/11, Church said. We want to let them know that we have the kind of workers they're looking for,? Church said.

    The Bay Area-wide economy is doing well, according to R. Sean Randolph, president of the Bay Area Economic Forum.Randolph said the economy has experienced across-the-board? recovery since 9/11, with business revenue and profit on the upswing and unemployment falling back down.

    – Written by Fiona

  • Help to our Pedestrians

    "Burlingame aims to enhance safety for area pedestrians" in the Examiner

    Burlingame, Calif. – The city is raising the bar for pedestrian safety around town, particularly around its major shopping districts. Pedestrian-involved accidents and several close calls? have been an ongoing problem in the general downtown area, particularly around Burlingame Avenue and Broadway, Police Chief Jack Van Etten said. The intersection of El Camino Real and Broadway, where crossing guards are standard fare, remains one of the top areas for red-light violations, Van Etten said. At the behest of residents and business owners, the city is examining ways to make Broadway a safer place to stroll. Late last week, crews installed portable delineators? at Broadway and Paloma Avenue to slow speedy drivers a temporary measure while officials mull over the best traffic-slowing options for the busy street, assistant Public Works Director Syed Murtuza said. The delineators, brightly colored poles that will pop back up if a car knocks them over, came at a total cost of $1,000. They'll be there until we can figure out what options are feasible and what would have the least impact on our budget,? Murtuza said. There was talk of adding a stop sign at the intersection, but city traffic engineer Augustine Chou had concerns that cars would back up on the street and eventually spill over into neighborhood streets. Other options on the table include a lighted crosswalk or a traffic signal specifically to allow pedestrians to cross Broadway, Murtuza said. A lighted crosswalk would cost between $50,000 and $70,000, while a traffic signal could cost $250,000. But Councilman Russ Cohen said that increasing safety doesn't necessarily mean installing costly equipment. Pedestrian safety is more about getting drivers to realize that there's a crosswalk than about installing more stop signs and traffic lights,? Cohen said.

    Officials hope the lion's share of the money for any improvements will come from state or federal transportation grants. The city already secured $150,000 in Transportation Development Act grant money earlier this year for bike signs on California Street and throughout the city, intersection countdowns and a nearly completed, lighted crosswalk at Morrell Avenue, east of the railroad tracks, Murtuza said. Van Etten said he also wants to step up his department's enforcement abilities with some state grant funds. In January, he plans on applying for a grant from the state Office of Traffic and Safety that would fund a motorcycle and 18 months' pay for a motorcycle officer. If Van Etten is successful, the officer would selectively enforce? downtown hotspots for traffic violations. Hopefully the economy will get better and we can absorb that person into the police department,? Van Etten said. We can certainly use the extra personnel.?

    – Written by Fiona

  • Burlingame Movie Club?

    We are lucky to have Movies in Washington Park during the summer but does anyone know whether there are any Film Clubs in the area? Do any of our local community groups have Movie Clubs – like Book Clubs?

    Wouldn't the Burlingame Womans Club be a perfect place!?

    – Written by Fiona

  • A New Spin

    "A new spin on bar scene" from the Daily Journal

    The Vinyl Room opened in downtown Burlingame last month to the steady beat of house music, classic hip-hop and down tempo? songs but nothing from Billboard's Top 40. The omission of ubiquitous club beats was intentional. Owners Juan Loredo, 25, and Jose Natividad, 26, hope that the Vinyl Room will attract a 25-and-older crowd looking for something more than popular music. Not everyone wants mainstream,? Loredo said. When we would go out to bars, we would always complain about the places we went to. Like, this sucks, everything is mainstream music.' We wanted to create a niche that can't be found anywhere else.? Loredo and Natividad developed a lounge that offered an alternative to what most bar-goers are used to, where disc jockeys could mix music based on the mood of the patrons. The result is the Vinyl Room, a small, relaxed environment with plenty of room to lounge or dance. It opened June 23.

    The owners, both graduates of and former bartenders at San Jose State University, always dreamed of running a bar, but were just waiting for the right opportunity,? Loredo said. Loredo and Natividad both spent three years working at the Nielsen ratings and Morgan Stanley respectively, but they continued to bartend on the side.Loredo said they based the style, decor and music of the Vinyl Room on bars that they frequented and admired, especially the Cardiff Lounge in downtown Campbell. The Vinyl Room currently boasts the artwork of Bay Area graphic designer Devin Harris, but the display will change every six to eight weeks, Loredo said. The DJs play mostly house, a genre of synthesized music similar in sound to techno. House music gets a bad rap,? said Loredo. People think it's this annoying techno stuff, but it just has to be mixed correctly.? The correct mixture depends on the quality of the DJ, which is why Loredo and Natividad seek out the Bay Area's best to perform at the Vinyl Room. Our main focus is on the music and on spinning records,? Loredo said. That's why it's called the Vinyl Room. We get DJs from all over the Bay Area DJs like Roger Morehouse. If you know house, you know who these people are.?

    On Aug. 26, the lounge will feature popular house music headliners Uneaqe and Rick Preston, which Loredo hopes will attract bar-goers familiar with the genre. The most important thing is drawing a good crowd,? he said. The bar's maximum capacity is 130, but there's always room for enthusiastic dancers. The furniture that lines the green walls can easily be moved to create more space. People can have fun wherever they want,? Loredo said. While music and dancing are the Vinyl Room's main priorities, DJs only spin records from Wednesday to Saturday night. The bar's Happy Hour, which takes place Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., boasts $4 martinis and $3 beers. The bar's regular hours are Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Loredo and Natividad are excited about the Vinyl Room's success thus far. We've been relying on word-of-mouth to bring the crowd in,? said Loredo. For having only that kind of promotion, there's been a great turnout.?

    The Vinyl Room – 221 Park Road in Burlingame. DJs spin records from Wednesday to Saturday night. The bar's Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and boasts $4 martinis and $3 beers. The bar's regular hours are Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

    – Written by Fiona

  • First Tuesday at Il Piccolo

    On Tuesday evening, August 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m, Citizens for a Better Burlingame will host the second in its open-discussion series, "First Tuesday", at Il Piccolo Caffe on Broadway. The series focuses on community issues such as local and intercity transportation, the redesign of the Burlingame Avenue train station, beautification of the Burlingame Avenue and Broadway shopping districts, and appropriate development of the Safeway site.

    The August 1 discussion will focus on the impact that a grade separation (raising the railroad tracks considerably above existing "ground level') will have at the Burlingame Avenue CalTrain station. This spring, after much community input, CalTrain and the city negotiated a redesign of the station which will cost CalTrain roughly $12,000,000. CalTrain has assured city officials that this investment is a long-term fix and demonstrates CalTrain's commitment to keep the station in service and virtually unchanged for decades to come.

    At the same time, however, CalTrain is proceeding with plans to raise the railroad bed at Broadway (in anticipation of the new freeway overpass system on Bayshore at Broadway) and in San Mateo over Poplar and Tilton avenues. This grade separation on either side of Burlingame Avenue will increase pressure to create a grade separation through Burlingame, in the form of either a berm or an viaduct. The effect of such a grade separation, especially a berm, would divide "east Burlingame" and "west Burlingame" as effectively as a fortress wall. What would this mean to Burlingame? What would this mean to you?

    Come to "First Tuesday" to share your ideas and listen to those of others. These discussions are intended both to be informative and to collect information about what Burlingame residents personally consider important issues in their lives. Ultimately we hope they will engender the sense of community that has been the hallmark of the American town meeting. Future discussions and forums will be responsive to what is learned at these sessions. There is no charge.

    Bring some friends, buy a cup of java or a glass of wine and join in some good open discussion.

    – Written by Fiona

  • You Say “Charette”, I Say “Brainstorming” is Better Yet

    The public is invited to a "Charette" on Saturday, September 30 (place tbd) regarding Howard Avenue.

    – Written by Joanne

  • Burlingame School District Accountability Report Card(?)

    I don't know how many residents received the scanty blue and white Annual Community Report Card for the Burlingame School District. It is anything but informative, containing little or no information. Please! For a district that claims to be excellent, this token flyer is really inadequate. Where's the beef?!! What about information on parent volunteer hours spent in the classrooms, on test scores, on minimum requirements, programs and classes offered, ethnic make-up, (for starters?). In comparison, I'm posting the link to Hillsborough's '05 report. This is a REAL report and should be a templette for our district: http://www.hcsd.k12.ca.us/schools/crocker/SARC_Crocker_0405.htm

    – Written by Jen

  • $1.5 million for Safety Barriers

    Caltrain earmarks $1.5M for safety barriers in the Examiner. Please click here for full article.

    SAN FRANCISCO – Residents living along the Caltrain corridor could soon see new fencing to prevent people from illegally crossing the tracks, following a year that has seen nine deaths so far, including that of a 13-year-old Burlingame boy in April. To reduce the number of deaths on the tracks, the agency has earmarked $1.5 million for new fencing in the current budget and plans to construct road medians that will keep drivers from circumventing railroad crossing arms and increase outreach to school students this fall, officials said Thursday. Much of the impetus for additional safety measures came after Fatih Kuc, of Burlingame, was struck and killed by a train on April 18, as he walked along the tracks with friends just south of the Broadway train station after school, Hill said. On April 6, two people were killed on the tracks in one day.

    Caltrain is working to cull a list of sites submitted by cities where pedestrians frequently trespass and cross the tracks, Caltrain spokesman Jonah Weinberg said. A final list of where new fences will be installed is expected in the fall with the kickoff of rail safety outreach efforts at many area schools, Weinberg said. He expects the first fence installations to begin within six months, Weinberg said. Caltrain has contacted 150 principals at Peninsula schools as part of its don't shortcut life? program. Many have already expressed interest in Caltrain coming to their schools soon after school begins, Weinberg said.

    – Written by Fiona

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