In one bold move, Burlingame defined its vision and guiding policies—a General Plan—and created its primary implementation and regulatory tool that will bring that vision to reality—a Zoning Ordinance. 

Hundreds of Burlingame residents and businesses contributed to the planning process through stakeholder interviews, pop-up sidewalk activities, community workshops, an interactive website and online survey, and monthly advisory committee meetings. Key land use policy changes included significantly boosting housing densities near the BART station on the City’s north border, transitioning aging industrial properties to accommodate housing development, and reimaging the Broadway district to allow a greater mix of uses adjacent to Caltrain commuter rail.  

The General Plan’s digital version broadens access and increases public awareness and understanding of the plan's goals and strategies for the future. Users can intuitively locate information of most interest to them, they can organize policies by topic, understand requirements on a parcel-level, and track implementation measures.  

Implementing plan policies required overhauling the city’s 1960s-era zoning code. The completely restructured code is easier to use, ensures that land use and development standards allow for the development envisioned, and streamlines application the approval processes to achieve housing production and economic development goals.  In the three years following code adoption, the City’s housing goals were met.

The innovative website won Planetizen's 2021 Top Websites for Urban Planning award.