Category: Post Office

  • Park it, Mack

    The first phase of the new downtown parking structure is open for biz about 11 months after we discussed it here.  The ground floor has been offering free, try-before-you-buy parking for a couple of weeks, but that is now over.  It should relieve a little of the pressure from parklets and construction, especially at the old post office where today is groundbreaking day.  Here's the view of the ground floor–full– except for the EV spots which were……empty.  I think they will be more successful than the spots near Broadway which shouldn't be hard to accomplish.

    Parking structure gnd floor

    An eagle-eyed reader forwarded this photo of the rooftop parking and noted the absence of the concrete "wheel blocks" in front of the cable railing that appears a bit flimsy.  We've seen a few instances of drivers thinking they were in reverse when they weren't or hitting the gas instead of the brake, so the wheel blocks seem like a good idea here.

    Top Floor rail

  • Post Office Approval: Done Deal

    Back in February of 2012 we asked "Whither the Post Office?" when USPS announced plans to sell the main post office.  A lot of water has since flowed "under the bridge" and through the underground culvert that runs next to the old post office.  It sold, then sold again, and the latest owner, Sares Regis, has worked diligently on plans with the city to get to the approval it just received.  The DJ reports

    The Burlingame City Council unanimously voted in favor Monday, Feb. 1, of a development agreement with Sares Regis to convert the shuttered facility at 220 Park Road into a six-story commercial tower, expected to become the city’s tallest building.  The office building is proposed to be six stories, with five floors of office space built over a ground floor of retail and dining space.

    The site is adjacent to city property where a surface parking lot is expected to be reconstructed into a new community gathering hub officials imagine to be similar to Courthouse Square in Redwood City.

    We've worried about the building itself tucked behind fencing for nine years with potential maintenance issues that inevitably accrue to any building of any age.  The marble-clad lobby seen here is a gem and will make for a great retail or restaurant space.  And the "town square" will be a welcome addition particularly if it can successfully host some much-needed entertainment in town.  It will certainly get more use than the lawn ever did.

    Post office lawn2

    Parking should be OK given the giant new parking structure that many residents are gazing up at–some shaking their heads at the size and the shadow it casts.  Along with the Village at Burlingame, 220 California, the Bayswater development at the old Hower Auto site and now the Saris Regis project, one wonders if it is time to take a breather?  Perhaps we should see how this all plays out for awhile?

    P.S. I kind of like the juxtaposition of the approval headline with the San Mateo downtown vacancy headline

    Post Office and SM Vacancies1

  • Post Office Progress

    With new ownership that has more experience and seemingly more sensitivity to local needs, the Old Post Office project is moving forward.  We noted the historic nature of the original building and the restrictions that brings way back in 2013 here.  Disappointment with the prior owners' designs in 2016 can be found here.  A sympathetic design is a definite improvement as the Daily Journal is noting.  Although the "Future of Work" is raising concerns about more office space.

    The Burlingame Planning Commission unanimously endorsed variances sought by developer Sares Regis, which is proposing to rebuild the vacant, central site at 220 Park Road into a commercial tower planned to be the city’s tallest building.   “I’m not opposed to the project, but it just raises a little bit of concern for me because there is empty office space in town,” said Commissioner Michael Gaul, nodding to similar perspectives shared by a resident critical of the project.

    With an anticipation that like-minded critics will continue coming forward as the project moves through the public planning process, Gaul said he supports the plans while harboring some uncertainty that there is sufficient demand to fill the space.  Sares Regis executive Andrew Turco agreed, reinforcing his firm’s proposal to construct the 98-foot building. Noting the site’s central, downtown location and proximity to the Caltrain stop, Turco shared confidence there would be sufficient interest to occupy the building.

    I think Mr. Turco is mostly correct.  Prospective tenants will like the location for the reasons we all like the location and people will eventually filter back into offices.  The real question is will the numbers pencil out after the changes to square footage per employee (larger), much better air handling and whatever else comes along with a return to offices.  In the meantime, the discussions about the public square adjacent to the project continue.  The desolate, forlorn, fenced-in look in the center of town isn't to anyone's liking.

    Post office entrance

  • Neither Snow Nor Rain…Nor Gloom

    I like getting tips and pointers from regular Voice readers.  I've gotten three in the last two days including one about our mail delivery here in B'game.  According to Wikipedia, the unoffical motto of the US Postal Service

    The inspiring words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" – while by no means an official creed or motto of the United States Postal Service – have long been associated with the American postman. The motto is inscribed on New York's James Farley Post Office, but it has no official status.

    That "gloom of night" bit seems very appropriate since our local tipster reports that he is regularly getting his mail delivered after 10 PM!  While that might seem meritorious on the part of the postman, I would be more worried about leaving mail outside overnight.  The USPS cut the price of a forever stamp at the beginning of the year by .02 but maybe it should have stayed at .49 and we hire another carrier or two to keep deliveries in daylight or close to it.  Change your clocks tonight!  

  • Post Office post mortem

    FullSizeRender
    Sorry I am getting to this late in the game. The downtown Burlingame former Post Office site was the subject of an open house meeting Wednesday night. Here's a photo to give you an idea of what it being proposed. I will post some opinions that were posted here on another thread because I think it's important for this discussion to be al in one place for easy reference.

    First however, my brief opinion: Two years ago I ran for City Council. I wasn't planning on running, but there were strong rumblings of major housing coming to downtown Burlingame. I thought it was the wrong thing to do two years ago and I still think that today. Downtown is not the place for housing that is this dense—148 units. And that is on top of the other dense housing developments that are being proposed on the fringes of downtown. Hey, I'm not against adding density to Burlingame, but our general plan calls out specific areas of town where density is better suited. Perhaps our downtown plan calls for housing as well, but I wasn't on the council when that particular document was approved and I would't have voted for it. I won't comment on the architectural style here because to me, no matter what the style, it will impact downtown in a negative way. 

    If you agree or disagree, post a comment. I will post the other comments from other post directly below.

  • Important Burlingame Meeting – Our Post Office

    This Wednesday there is a very important meeting at 5p.m. on the future of the Burlingame Post Office building and surrounding property at the Post Office building itself (220 Park Road). The initial proposal for this project was for 50,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with four stories above for 128 condominiums. Also included was a petite public courtyard.

     

    The design, proposed by Stanley Lo Green Banker who is representing the buyer – Wang-Lu Revocable Trust, also included the purchase of the city owned adjacent parking lot. The city has not yet agreed to sell the lot and that is a key component of the discussion that should involve community input.

     

    This is a project that will change the landscape of downtown Burlingame forever so I hope you will attend.

     

    Meeting Details:

    Wednesday, August 24th

    5pm

    At the "old" Post Office (220 Park Rd)

  • Drink Up, While You Can?

    Multiple news sources have noted the demise of the state ordered water conservation limits and the DJ weighs in with its version

    The orange-and-black automated signs lining state highways still warn that California is in severe drought, but Californians this summer are getting a second chance to show whether they can save water without the state ordering them.

    After lifting nine months of mandatory state water conservation for families and non-farm businesses, authorities caution that they could impose state limits again as soon as this winter should the state’s 39 million people return to water-wasting, drought-oblivious ways.

    On Tuesday, the state announced that all but 68 of the 411 larger water districts (ed: that is 83.5% of them!) had gotten out from under the threat of localized conservation orders from the state. The water agencies did that by declaring they had enough water to get by even if the drought lasts another three years.

    Environmental groups are skeptical all the water districts have as robust a water supply as they claim, and say lifting of mandatory conservation sends the wrong message to ordinary Californians as the drought persists.

    You can't swing a cat without hitting a construction site somewhere in the Bay Area including lil ole B'game.  Contractors are not returning calls from potential new clients and we are about to discuss some massive project at the Post Office site on Wed, Aug 24th (5-7 p.m. at 220 Park Road, i.e. the Old Post Office).  Of course, the reports of a more-than-10 year deficit in the state's aquifers gets lost in all this chatter.  There's not going to be enough water to do around, so drink up while you can.  Is it time for CalTrans to change the sign?

    Severe Drought sign

  • What’s Blowing at the Post Office?

    According to one blogger whose opinion I trust implicitly, this Daily Journal article about the proposed monster project at the original, historic post office is a pretty accurate description of the meeting

    The design of a large housing and retail project which some hope will redevelop the former Burlingame post office into a landmark attraction drew criticism from city officials during an initial review session.

    Burlingame council members expressed concerns regarding whether the proposal to build 50,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor of the building at 220 Park Road, under 128 condominiums spread across the top four stories would blend with the surrounding character of downtown.

    “This isn’t cutting it at all,” said Mayor Ann Keighran. “This isn’t Burlingame.”

    The headline called it a "tepid" city response, but it sounds more like a vigorous city council response to me.  Time to get back to the drawing board and respect the surroundings, the historic nature of the building and the whole block and address what we really need downtown–which ain't 100+ units of housing.  As another blogger noted on this earlier post, the fact that Stanley Lo doesn't feel he has any problems finding parking downtown is pretty special.

    Post Office back sculpture

  • Almost Goin’ Postal

    The post office is never a pleasant experience one week before Christmas, but somethings just make it like a Seinfeld episode.  This afternoon was a perfect example:  a guy is hoping to get a passport and needs the photo along with the application.  One of the regular clerks is going take the pic but first needs to figure out how to close the front blinds to get the lighting right.  She apparently had never closed them before and it was entertaining.  The poor guy is on a stool against the wall and she proceeds to take about 15 shots moving closer, then farther, then up a little, then down a little.  People are cutting in front to get to the "windows".  She goes in the back to print it (wait 3 minutes) and the photo turns out too pink, so they want to do it again.  At this point he has to go feed the meter.  The regular line is now out to the lobby and growing by the minute.  Then the supervisor gets involved, looks around for the charger for the batteries in the camera, and takes the guy out into the crowded lobby to take another few photos.

    By then I was done with my business as he waited to see if the second set yielded a usable photo.  Only one thought came to mind:  "Dude, go to Walgreen's for the photo."  5 minutes, done right the first time, every time with the secret to success being a proper back screen and a piece of tape on the floor so it comes out in the exact right dimensions every time!  Probably cheaper, too!  I miss the real post office where some of this sausage-making was hidden from view.

  • What Type of Society?

    Every once in awhile a news or opinion piece sticks with me for more than a day or two.  That's when I know it is worth putting a "pointer post" to it on the Voice.  Jon Mays at the Daily Journal did just such a piece last week that you can find here.  One part I thought was particularly insightful was

    More to the point, cultural progress always has victims and ultimately, history itself decides who can stay in one place and who can go. When there is upheaval, it is hard to discern what a landscape will look like until it all shakes out.

    There is a question as to what type of society in which we want to live. Is there value in socioeconomic diversity in an area? While it is easy to say yes, it is harder to say no to an outpouring of money that cures many ills. And a government solution is flawed for several reasons. One, it catches on too slowly and acts with little expeditiousness compared to the rapid pace of business. Two, government solutions are often flawed in their processes in that they try to solve too many problems once the discussion is open and can’t do enough to solve the actual problem. And three, government solutions sometimes prohibit business development by creating an unfriendly environment.

    You should click through and read the whole thing if you missed it last Friday.  I will likely point back to this post as the issues of housing manipulation, developer fees, high-density at the Post Office and Carolan Ave. sites and school overcrowding come around again.

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