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Skating in the Bayfront?

The tug of war between more golf amenities and new ice skating rinks continues over at the Bayfront.  The Merc put the question into the context of all mid-Peninsula rink capacity with this article

After several lean years for Peninsula ice skaters and hockey players, the move to build one or more new facilities is gaining momentum, particularly in Burlingame, where a nonprofit group has proposed constructing a rink on the site of a driving range.

The Mid-Peninsula Ice Rink Foundation recently submitted a proposal to the Burlingame Parks and Recreation Department, which is considering two other bids. The department is expected to wrap up its review early in 2017 and report to the City Council.

But there’s an unusual catch. To make the project viable, the foundation claims it would need to secure several million dollars from neighboring San Mateo.  Michael Strambi, president of the Mid-Peninsula Ice Rink Foundation, estimates it would cost up to $20 million to build a new rink at the Burlingame driving range. Using funds from San Mateo as seed money, the nonprofit would seek private and public investors.

Getting up to $4 million gratis from San Mateo would be surprising to say the least.  Vice Mayor Michael Brownrigg is quoted as being interested and so I say "negotiate away"!  I'm just not sure where there is room out there to put a couple of rinks with the associated facilities, etc.  As soon as a proposed design appears somewhere, I'll post it.  In the meantime, the holiday rink in Central Park is doing quite a good business.

 

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15 responses to “Skating in the Bayfront?”

  1. Cris Perry

    What a wonderful idea! As a former competitive skater and current “just for fun” skater, I would absolutely love to see a rink in my home town of Burlingame. It has been decades since we’ve had a rink, and all others have closed. Skating is such a fun way to socialize and exercise. I will be doing what I can to make this happen.

  2. Joe

    The Council decided not to decide last night:
    Mayor Ricardo Ortiz said he believed the Topgolf proposal was the best on the table, pointing to a report from a committee comprised of staff and officials suggesting the golf center and restaurant could be the largest source of revenue for the city.
    “I’m leaning toward Topgolf,” he said, citing serious doubts regarding the ability of the nonprofit to raise the money necessary to build the ice rink.
    But other councilmembers offered opposing perspectives, citing their desire to postpone a decision in favor of weighing the community benefits offered by an ice rink or badminton club.
    “I don’t think this is an evening for decisions,” said Vice Mayor Michael Brownrigg, who indicated he favored the ice rink and badminton center because the proposed uses were more closely aligned with the city’s obligation to preserve the recreation historically offered at the property.
    Councilwoman Emily Beach agreed holding off a decision was the wiser decision, to grant applicants the opportunity to craft a fuller vision of their proposals.
    – See more at: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2017-01-18/burlingame-frozen-over-ice-rink-council-postpones-decision-regarding-golf-center-proposals/1776425174496#sthash.yyz2ZXY9.dpuf

  3. fred

    The land is built on top of a landfill/garbage dump that constantly moves. How is an ice rink going to work long term if the foundation is subject to constant shifting?

  4. pat giorni

    Self-driving Zamboni??

  5. Alice

    “Self-driving Zamboni” – love it!
    As one speaker said last night: 60′ or 180′ pilings. An extra $5M at least if 180′ is needed.
    Or maybe just rest any structure on Teflon pads to deal with decomposing and settling garbage plus the bay mud and faults underneath?
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/11/AR2011031104541
    The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco has some interesting ways to sift around and resettle level with earthquakes and bay mud issues with just 57′ pilings.

  6. J. Mir

    wait a minute now. someone says “badminton center.” I can totally go for that. The closure of Bay Badminton here was a huge loss for our family. Where else could you go spend $22 and play all the badminton you want for the day? Talk about cheap thrills. That place was awesome, and they got evicted, and the greedy property management lets the place sit empty now for years. I hate it! (just like Kohls) Anyway. Badminton #1, Ice #2

  7. Joe

    I just realized I forgot to post this back on Feb 16th from the DJ:
    Discouraged after hearing from impassioned community members juxtaposed by shopping center representatives who admitted their bottom line as a business is turning a profit, the San Mateo Planning Commission narrowly voted not to support an $8 million offer in exchange for the demolition of the Bridgepointe ice rink.
    .
    .
    .
    Skating supporters, including the newly formed Mid-Peninsula Ice Rink Foundation, urged the entire $8 million be allocated toward efforts to build a regional facility. The foundation, with the support of leaders from several cities and the county, has proposed creating a facility at the Burlingame Golf Center. However, many at the meeting noted Burlingame’s City Council appears to be leaning more in favor of allowing Top Golf to redevelop the site.
    The Burlingame City Council is slated to consider the matter March 21, a day after the San Mateo City Council will review SPI’s $8 million offer.
    – See more at: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2017-02-16/thumbs-down-for-8-million-ice-rink-offer-san-mateo-planning-commission-narrowly-suggests-city-council-deny-bridgepointe/1776425175994#sthash.SbpN20Ah.dpuf

  8. pat giorni

    My 2 cents…
    In the beginning the City of San Mateo crafted the ordinance, regulation, requirement, however they codified it, to keep the skating rink when they overhauled the Fashion Island failure that became Bridgepointe.
    All and any investors from that time forward knew that that parcel where the new rink was built was dedicated to maintaining that usage.
    When the present owners/investors closed that facility, the City should have held their feet to to fire and forced them to reopen.
    With high praise to Mike Swire who mobilized the stakeholders with a petition that seeks an alternative for rink replacement elsewhere only because the City wasn’t providing the political will to enforce the original agreement we now have a SM problem sloughed onto the City of Burlingame.
    Our Council should cut to the chase by denying the rink be built here. Furthermore, our Council should be in active communication with SM and encourage it to enforce the original agreement if only to guarantee that what has been vested to the residents will remain intact.

  9. local motion

    I agree. Perhaps one city attorney can take the other to lunch and order some backbone?

  10. Ian

    I was quite taken aback when I received the email blast from the “Committee to Save the San Mateo Ice Rink” last week stating that they are in favor of San Mateo accepting the $8M offer, even though it’s quite clear that replacement would be more like $20M. The main drawback with the proposal for the rink at the Golf Center site seems to be their lack of funding, but they’re willing to accept less than half the cost of the replacement to let San Mateo off the hook. Unless they’ve lined up another source of funding, I’d suggest San Mateo and Burlingame form a united front on this, and offer to let the Bridgepoint developer rezone only if he puts up the full replacement cost to build on the Golf Center or some other site.

  11. Joe

    Well, well. It looks like golf is going to be the B’game Bayfront approach:
    In an astonishing about-face, owners of the Bridgepointe Shopping Center announced they would reopen the community’s beloved ice rink after years of battling with skating enthusiasts and San Mateo officials who sought to preserve the unique recreational amenity.
    – See more at: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2017-03-10/san-mateo-ice-rink-to-reopen-bridgepointe-owner-withdraws-8-million-offer-to-demolish-for-new-retail-skate-enthusiasts-ecstatic/1776425177097#sthash.2qrvQucV.dpuf

  12. pat giorni

    ALSO SEE… https://www.change.org/p/mayor-david-lim-and-the-city-of-san-mateo-please-don-t-take-away-our-ice-rink/u/19665209?utm_medium=email&utm_source=41930&utm_campaign=petition_update&sfmc_tk=CV2qm6zcJGbSlGf4B6ubbNXet%2f8pm1ZM2d%2fJVOrzSgj2O%2fTmS6wzg%2bCXnIYkROx7

  13. Timothy Hooker

    By far the most sensible solution for the entire community. Great work Mayor Ortiz, and Councilmembers Kieghran, Colson, and Brownrigg.

  14. Bruce Dickinson

    Fellas, can you point Bruce Dickinson to where the Burlingame City council was decisive in affecting the decision of the Bridgepointe owners? The articles above only seem to mention San Mateo council members?

  15. hillsider

    Passive bystanders one and all.

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