Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
1 BURLINGAME CITY COUNCIL
Approved Minutes
Goal Setting Session on January 29, 2022
1. CALL TO ORDER
A duly noticed meeting of the Burlingame City Council was held on the above date via Zoom Webinar at 9:01 a.m.
2 . ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Beach, Brownrigg, Colson, O’Brien Keighran, Ortiz MEMBERS ABSENT: None
3 . PUBLIC COMMENTS
Planning Commissioner Jennifer Pfaff stated that she would like the City to look into the illegal removal of trees on private properties.
TSPC Chair John Martos explained that the main concern TSPC hears about from the public is in regard to pedestrian safety. He asked that staff take this issue into consideration when new developments are approved.
Manito Velasco asked staff to study where accidents are happening and develop a plan to make those intersections/streets safer.
4. CITY COUNCIL AND DEPARTMENT HEAD HIGHLIGHTS
City Manager Goldman asked the Department Heads and City Council to state what they were most proud of that was accomplished in the prior year.
Parks and Recreation Director Glomstad stated that she was proud of the resiliency of her team. She noted that due to COVID-19, her team continued to pivot and create new programs for the community, handled the winter storms, and introduced new software systems for the new Community Center.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
2 City Clerk Hassel-Shearer stated that she was proud of the work that the City Clerk’s Office did to transition to district elections. Additionally, she discussed the first-time voter website that BHS students Ella and Ava Giere were creating for the community.
HR Director Morrison stated that she was proud of her staff’s ability to keep up with the ever-changing COVID-19 protocols while still maintaining their day-to-day work.
Finance Director Yu-Scott stated that she was proud of her staff for launching the new utility system.
Additionally, she voiced appreciation for getting to join the City team this past year!
CDD Gardiner stated that he was proud of the approval of the Zoning Code update.
DPW Murtuza discussed the construction of the parking garage on Highland Avenue that will benefit the community for years to come.
Police Chief Matteucci thanked his department for keeping the community safe and crime low while dealing with staff shortages.
City Librarian McCulley discussed the efforts of his staff to ensure that the public had access to the Library during the pandemic.
Fire Chief Barron voiced appreciation for the hard work of his team.
City Attorney Guina stated that he is proud of the completion of the development agreement for the 220 Park Road Post Office Project.
City Manager Goldman stated that she is very proud of the department head team and City staff. She discussed the hiring of both Finance Director Yu-Scott and City Attorney Guina. She noted that they fit in well and had quickly become assets to the City.
Mayor Ortiz stated that he was proud of the outreach that was done for the transition to district elections.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg stated that he was proud of the Police Department’s efforts to keep the city safe and the Police Chief’s work to change the culture from warrior to guardian.
Councilmember Colson discussed the new neighborhood on North Rollins Road and the effort that was going into making sure it would accommodate growth while being green and friendly to all modes of transportation.
Councilmember Beach highlighted the team effort to keep the Broadway Grade Separation project moving forward. She discussed the efforts to value-engineer the project in order to ensure it is well-positioned for federal funds.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
3 Councilmember O’Brien Keighran thanked Parks and Recreation Director Glomstad and City Librarian McCulley for working to make Burlingame an Age Friendly City.
5. CITY COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
a. SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability Coordinator Michael stated that she created a survey for the City Council to take during the meeting. She noted that this survey would help her set up her sustainability priorities for the year. Each section of the survey focused on a different field and asked the Council to rate which goals they thought the City should pursue.
The first section concerned electrification and had the following potential goals:
• Provide incentives for electrifying existing homes, such as small rebates for purchasing electric heat pump appliances
• Consider applying the building electrification reach code to kitchen renovations and appliance replacements
• Expand the reach code to require electric appliances for cooking and fireplaces in new construction • Adopt a target year (such as 2045) for ending the use of methane in Burlingame • Set a target date (such as 2030) for Burlingame to be carbon neutral • Commit to replacing gas appliances at the end of their life with electric options in municipal facilities when feasible
The second section of the survey concerned e-mobility and had the following potential goals:
• Consider e-scooter sharing program in Burlingame
• Purchase e-bikes for staff use
Ms. Michael noted that a study session was being scheduled to discuss e-mobility.
The third section of the survey concerned electric vehicles and had the following potential goals:
• Obtain grants for more public EV charging stations
• Offer small grants for multi-family EV charging stations such as $100 per unit • Explore the use and purchase of EVs for police cars
The fourth section of the survey concerned landscaping and had the following potential goals:
• Provide incentives for commercial landscapers to convert to electric blowers, such as $500 per unit (similar to City of San Mateo’s leaf blower rebate program). She noted that beginning in 2024, California will prohibit the sale of gas leaf blowers.
• Enroll in BAWSCA’s “Lawn Be Gone” program or offer a similar incentive to switch out lawns to less water-intensive uses
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
4 • Strongly encourage gray water usage in homes through policy or incentives
The fifth section of the survey concerned SB 1383 and had the following potential goals:
• Conduct outreach to multi-family buildings to enroll in composting • Provide funding for a pilot program to provide composting bins in public areas such as downtown and high-usage parks
The sixth section of the survey concerned the City’s Disposable Food-ware Ordinance and had the following potential goals:
• Fund a pilot program to help restaurants purchase reusable or initial set of compostable food-ware • Participate in the Reusable San Mateo pilot program that encourages restaurants to use reusable food- ware
Ms. Michael noted that the City’s Disposable Food-ware Ordinance would not go into effect until October 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council filled out the survey.
Ms. Michael reviewed the goals that the Council was interested in pursuing:
• Electrification - Provide incentives for electrifying existing homes, such as small rebates for purchasing electric heat pump appliances
• Electrification – Set a target date (such as 2030) for Burlingame to be carbon neutral • Electrification - Commit to replacing gas appliances at the end of life with electric options in municipal facilities when feasible
• E-mobility – potential support for an e-scooter program and support for e-bikes for staff use • Electric Vehicles - Obtain grants for more public EV charging stations • Electric Vehicles - Offer small grants for multi-family EV charging stations such as $100 per unit • Electric Vehicles - Explore use and purchase of EVs for police cars • Landscaping – Provide incentives for commercial landscapers to convert to electric blowers • Landscaping - Enroll in BAWSCA’s “Lawn Be Gone” program or offer a similar incentive to switch out lawns to less water-intensive uses
• SB 1383 – marketing to multi-family buildings and composting bins • Disposable Food-ware Ordinance – participate in Reusable San Mateo pilot program
Mayor Ortiz asked that staff undertake public outreach to educate the public about the locations of EV charging stations in the city. Ms. Michael replied in the affirmative.
Councilmember Beach discussed having the City create a Vision Zero Policy that would have effects on sustainability and transportation.
Ms. Michael thanked the Council for participating in the survey.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
5 Mayor Ortiz opened the item up for public comment.
Amy stated that she would like to see air quality improved in the City by banning woodfire burning stoves and gas-powered leaf blowers. (comment submitted via [email protected] ).
David Harris voiced support for encouraging gardeners to switch from gas-powered to electric leaf blowers. (comment submitted via [email protected]
).
Mayor Ortiz closed public comment.
Councilmember Colson stated that it might be easier to incentivize homeowners to buy electric leaf blowers versus an incentive program for gardeners. Ms. Michael stated that the City of San Mateo had undertaken a similar program and she would look into it further.
The Council thanked Ms. Michael for her work.
b. TRANSPORTATION
DPW Murtuza stated that staff has been focusing on high-priority projects identified in the Bike/Pedestrian Master Plan. He noted that the top priority project was the California Drive Bicycle Facility. He explained that the project includes creating a Class IV bicycle lane from Broadway to Oak Grove. He added that the City received $800,000 in grant funding and that construction would begin in the summer.
DPW Murtuza stated that another high priority project is the Burlingame Avenue Train Station Pedestrian Improvements. He explained that the City secured $600,000 in grant funding, and construction will begin in the summer.
DPW Murtuza discussed the Neighborhood Bike Boulevard project. He explained that this project creates alternative routes for bicyclists and is currently in the design phase.
DPW Murtuza noted that staff submitted several grant applications for constructing buffered bike lanes on Trousdale, Murchison, and Davis Drive. He added that these projects are more or less shovel ready if the City receives funds.
DPW Murtuza stated that staff has several bike safety projects that would address the concerns that TSPC Chair Martos raised during public comment. He noted that these projects will be funded by MTC and are near schools and parks. He stated that the projects include installing high visibility crosswalks and bulb outs.
DPW Murtuza asked Council if there are any other projects that they would like staff to focus on.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran asked about the crosswalk on El Camino Real and Bellevue. DPW Murtuza stated that Caltrans plans to install a high visibility crosswalk.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
6 Vice Mayor Brownrigg asked about creating a more robust shuttle system. He discussed the development on the Bayfront. He noted that the shuttle could be utilized for both the Bayfront and expanded into neighborhoods to assist senior citizens. DPW Murtuza stated that he would look into it.
Councilmember Beach stated that she would like to see the City invest in a Vision Zero Policy. She explained that a Vision Zero Policy is a commitment the Council could make to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. She noted that it started in Europe in the 1990s, and it has proven to be successful. She added that Daly City and South San Francisco both established similar policies. She explained that it is a data-driven approach that empowers staff to make recommendations that are uncompromising about safety for all modes of transportation.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg stated that he concurred with Councilmember Beach about a Vision Zero Policy.
However, he noted that he didn’t want the policy to prevent housing because it would create more cars on the road.
Councilmember Colson stated that prior to putting resources into a Vision Zero Policy, she would want to know the number of accidents and fatalities in the city. She noted that she didn’t want to put a lot of money into solving a problem that isn’t a big problem for Burlingame.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran concurred with Councilmember Colson. She asked that Police Chief Matteucci look at where accidents occur and what the rate of accidents are in the city.
Mayor Ortiz stated that striving for zero fatalities is a great goal. He explained that the Council would need to consider how much money to put towards the goal by determining how large of an issue it is in Burlingame.
Mayor Ortiz opened the item up for public comment.
Manito Velasco stated that he supported a Vision Zero Policy for the City.
David Harris voiced concern about how drivers utilize the roundabout on California Drive. He asked that the City conduct further public outreach to educate the public on this matter. (comment submitted via [email protected]
).
Mayor Ortiz closed public comment.
Mayor Ortiz and Vice Mayor Brownrigg both stated that the roundabout on California Drive has made the area safer.
City Manager Goldman stated that the City could do periodic outreach through the enewsletter and social media regarding how to use the roundabout.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
7 6. BREAK
The Council took a ten-minute break.
7. CITY COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
a. HOUSING
CDD Gardiner stated that housing has been a big priority for the City over the past few years. He explained that the City keeps track of housing residential applications on a monthly basis. He noted that this can be found on www.burlingame.org
.
CDD Gardiner stated that as of January 2022, the City has 1,918 units that are entitled. He explained that 308 of those units are below market rate with the following breakdown:
• 82 very low income (50% AMI)
• 130 low income (80% AMI)
• 96 moderate income (120% AMI)
He added that there are 751 units under review, including 57 below market rate units.
CDD Gardiner discussed the fact that only 57 out of the 751 units are below market rate. He noted that the City requires 10% be affordable. However, he explained that there were recent changes to the State density bonus law. He stated that there has been clarification that the affordable requirement is taken off of the base density. For example, on Rollins Road, the City has a base density of 70 units per acre. The State law takes 10% of the 70 units and applies a bonus on top of that. The affordable unit percentage is only taken out of the base and not the bonus. He noted that the City might want to look into this and change the calculation.
CDD Gardiner stated that the next big project for the Community Development Department is the Housing Element update. He explained that Council must adopt it by the end of 2022. He added that Burlingame is in an enviable position because through the General Plan update, staff found enough zoning districts to accommodate the numbers that the State is asking the City to accommodate.
CDD Gardiner discussed the community engagement that staff will undertake as part of the Housing Element update:
• Stakeholder interviews in February 2022
• Annual Progress Report is scheduled for the March 7, 2022 Council Meeting • First Community Meeting in March
• Pop Up Events in March and April
• Second Community Meeting in April
• Annual Joint City Council and Planning Commission Meeting on April 24, 2022
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
8 CDD Gardiner stated that the public can visit www.burlingame.org/housingelement to find out more.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg stated that he is incredibly proud of the work that the Planning Department undertook to ensure that the City is open to individuals of all economic levels. He explained that he doesn’t believe there is a tension between building market rate and affordable because all housing is important on the Peninsula. However, he stated that there is a need for affordable housing, and he wants to see more built.
He added that he thought the Council should revisit the 10% affordable rule in light of the State density bonus.
Councilmember Colson stated that she thought the public engagement on the housing element would be a great way to educate the public on what the City has planned for housing. She discussed SB 9 and how single-family home lots could be split into four lots.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran asked if ADUs are counted into the residential application numbers.
CDD Gardiner replied in the affirmative.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran asked if there is a breakdown of how the ADUs are utilized. CDD Gardiner stated that 21 Elements has conducted studies on how ADUs are utilized. He added that he would get this information to Council.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran stated that she thought the affordable unit calculation was 10% of the total and not of the base units. CDD Gardiner stated that going forward the City could raise the percentage above 10% to get more affordable units. He added that the calculation could be different for projects that are utilizing the bonus versus those that are not.
Councilmember Beach stated that she’s proud of the City’s work to create housing and affordable units. She echoed Vice Mayor Brownrigg and Councilmember O’Brien Keighran’s point about increasing affordability by tinkering with the calculation.
Mayor Ortiz stated that he thought the stakeholders that CDD Gardiner should reach out to for the Housing Element update were teachers and City staff.
Councilmember Colson suggested reaching out to churches and religious organizations. She added that the City should also reach out to Peninsula Healthcare District.
Councilmember Beach suggested Housing For all Burlingame and service workers in the downtown area.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran suggested City staffers.
Mayor Ortiz opened the item up for public comment.
Planning Commissioner Jennifer Pfaff asked if the City could create a “RHINA for dummies” sheet.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
9 Mayor Ortiz closed public comment.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg stated that he thought the City’s housing element should include preservation of existing affordable units.
b. INFRASTRUCTURE
DPW Murtuza stated that his department has been busy working on various infrastructure projects including storm drains, wastewater, and sea level rise. However, he stated that for this section he would be focusing on the Broadway Grade Separation Project. He noted that this was the most dangerous train crossing intersection in California. He explained that the City has been working with Caltrain on this project, and the project is now at final design.
DPW Murtuza stated that the scope of the Broadway Grade Separation includes separating the road from the railroad tracks, creating a new train station, and adding multiple east-west crosswalks for bicycles and pedestrians. He explained that the project also involves realigning the train station entrance at Carmelita on California Drive to make it easier for the all modes of transportation.
DPW Murtuza stated that the overall cost of the project is estimated at $328 million. He noted that the City received approximately $27 million in Measure A funds. He explained that the City is working tirelessly with consultants to obtain federal funds.
DPW Murtuza stated that staff have value-engineered the project. He explained that staff identified a number of options to save money. He noted that by not lowering the roadway, the City will not only save a large amount of money, but it will also save six months of construction time.
Mayor Ortiz stated that the lesson he has learned from the Broadway Grade Separation project is that it takes a long time to get these large projects going. Therefore, if the City wants to undertake other projects, Council should start talking about it now.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran stated that part of why this project is being delayed is because the City can’t obtain State and Federal grants for this project. She asked how high up the track will be under the new design. DPW Murtuza stated that the clearance is about 16.5 feet.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg stated that this was the City’s most expensive infrastructure project. He asked how close to fully funded would the project need to be prior to breaking ground. DPW Murtuza stated that the Federal grant requires a funding agreement where each agency makes a commitment. He stated that in this case it would be the City of Burlingame, Transportation Authority, California Public Utilities Commission, and the Federal government. He noted that staff is also hoping to receive funding from the State and the MTC.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg asked if most of the project would be funded by the Federal government. DPW Murtuza stated that this is the idea.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
10 Councilmember Beach stated that there was a placeholder from the County’s Transportation Authority to assist the City with this project. She noted that the City might receive as much as $120 million in Measure A funds.
Councilmember Colson discussed all the work that the previous Councils have put into this project. She explained that she thought the City had to think of a more holistic approach to obtain federal funding for this project. She stated that she thought that the entire Council needed to use their connections to assist in getting the funding.
City Manager Goldman stated that there is a dedicated sub-committee to this issue consisting of Mayor Ortiz and Councilmember Beach. She explained that in regard to Councilmember Colson’s suggestion that if someone is going to Washington DC, they should let staff know, so that a strategy could be created. She added that staff recently met with Senator Feinstein and Senator Padilla’s staff to coordinate how to move the project forward.
City Manager Goldman explained that one of the frustrations is that while the City has a good project, Burlingame is not a blighted community. Therefore, the City’s project often doesn’t meet the criteria necessary for many of the federal grants.
Councilmember Beach stated that there hasn’t been enough federal funding for grade separations across the country. She discussed the grade separation study that Caltrain is embarking on, which includes $10 billion worth of work. She stated that she thought a component of the project should be a regional approach and advocacy for the project.
Councilmember O’Brien Keighran stated that she has a hard time understanding how other cities on the Peninsula have been able to get funding for their grade separations, but Burlingame has not been able to.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg shifted topics. He discussed the rain storms in November and December. He asked DPW Murtuza if he saw any worrying spots that the City needed to invest in in order to avoid flooding.
DPW Murtuza stated that the work the City has done over the last several years has helped to minimize localized flooding. He noted there were some locations where homeowners experienced flooding.
DPW Murtuza discussed the work that the City will be undertaking with OneShoreline regarding sea level rise.
Councilmember Colson stated that OneShoreline received $8 million in funding. She explained that $4 million would be utilized to work on an MOU between SFO, Millbrae, and Burlingame. She thanked CDD Gardiner for the design standards on the Bayfront. She noted that other cities are following Burlingame’s lead. She stated that the MOU with OneShoreline will do an assessment of the Bayfront, create design build specifications for each parcel, and work on getting permits and approvals.
Councilmember Beach left the meeting due to a previous engagement.
Burlingame City Council January 29, 2022
Approved Minutes
11 Mayor Ortiz opened the item up for public comment.
Planning Commissioner Jennifer Pfaff voiced concern that the Broadway Grade Separation would not have a depression at Broadway and instead would create a wall separating the east and west sides of town.
DPW Murtuza stated that the height of the new bridge will not make much of a difference. He added that no changes would be needed at Oak Grove Avenue.
Mayor Ortiz closed public comment.
Councilmember Colson asked how DPW Murtuza felt about the overall funding for infrastructure in the City. DPW Murtuza stated that prior to COVID-19, the City was undertaking several infrastructure projects and setting aside funds for future projects. However, he noted that even with the pandemic, the City has been able to maintain funding for safety related projects.
Vice Mayor Brownrigg asked staff to schedule a discussion on the water treatment facility and its future infrastructure needs.
Mayor Ortiz stated that Council would need to discuss upgrades to City Hall at a later date.
The Council thanked DPW Murtuza for his presentation.
8. PUBLIC COMMENT
No one spoke.
9. COUNCIL WRAP-UP AND NEXT STEPS
City Manager Goldman thanked the Council for their discussion on the various topics.
Mayor Ortiz thanked staff and his colleagues for their great work.
10. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Ortiz adjourned the meeting at 11:35 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/
Meaghan Hassel-Shearer
City Clerk