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 General Plan through stakeholder interviews, pop-up sidewalk activities, community workshops, an interactive website and online survey, and monthly advisory committee meetings. 

Extensive, in-depth analyses resulted in the Plan’s seven elements or issue areas: community character, economic development, mobility, infrastructure, community safety, healthy people and healthy places, and engagement and enrichment. Other related endeavors included an Environmental Impact Report with strategic mitigation measures and a Climate Action Plan, especially important given Burlingame’s location on the San Francisco Bay.

The newly adopted 2040 General Plan and Ordinance respond to 30 years of social, economic, physical and environmental change in the City, reflecting Burlingame’s character and preserving its distinguishing qualities, with a clear roadmap to the community-defined future.

We transformed the dense plan into an easy-to-use, highly informative digital version  that broadens access and increases public awareness and understanding of the Plan's goals and strategies for the future. Readers can organize policies by topic, understand requirements on a parcel-level, and track implementation measures.  

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