Workshop sparks ideas – Symposium kicks off downtown specific plan process (Daily News)
A roller coaster, a log flume, a robot zoo, a chocolate factory, a space museum, a go-cart center and a doughnut shop that connects to a police station through an underground tunnel are among the designs generated at a recent design charrette for Burlingame's Howard Avenue area. "That is for the policemen because they really like doughnuts a lot," said Simon Bartos, 8, who crafted a master plan for the city's downtown area with his friend Kevin Huo. "Kevin's mom really wanted a homework center, so they put one in there, too," said Mark Bartos, Simon's father and a member of the San Mateo chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which hosted Saturday's design workshop with the city of Burlingame.
Approximately 200 people showed up for the event, including 63 architects, student architects and landscape designers, Vice Mayor Terry Nagel estimated. The all-day design symposium used public comment in the morning to spur four teams of professional architects from AIA to draw up sketches for what a sleepy section of downtown Burlingame could look like if revitalized.After an afternoon of sketching, the architects revealed their plans for the area between Howard and Burlingame avenues at an evening presentation. "Some of the ideas made me wonder, 'Why didn't we think of that?'" Nagel said. The architects' proposals shared an emphasis on pedestrian-friendly, attractive design features, Nagel said. Some suggested displaying public art, adding gateways to both ends of Howard Avenue, creating a "green ribbon" with pedestrian paths and exposing an underground creek. In one sketch, Burlingame's scattered parking lots were consolidated. In another, Hatch Lane was transformed into "a paved pedestrian walkway with cafe tables and flowers and the power lines underground, much like Maiden Lane," Nagel said.
The architects volunteered their time, though the city funded the event by making a $15,000 donation to an AIA scholarship fund, and paying around $7,000 in expenses for food and supplies, said senior planner Maureen Brooks. "We hope we can use the information as a springboard for our upcoming downtown specific plan," Brooks said. The plans generated by the charrette will be compiled in an official city document for easy reference as the city moves forward with creating the new downtown plan in the coming year. Over the next three years, the city plans to examine and redesign the area from Oak Grove Avenue to Peninsula Avenue, between El Camino Real and California Drive.
Burlingame resident Norma Berliner-Satz said she has seen many family-run stores and restaurants leave since she moved to the town in 1974 and hopes that city officials keep the residents' needs in mind when designing downtown. "Are they thinking about their pocketbooks or about the people who live here?" she asked. The charrette is "just the beginning of a long process that will incorporate many different kinds of feedback," said Nagel.
– Written by Fiona
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