Burlingame negotiates sale of Parking Lot H, City Hall

Burlingame's City Council went behind closed doors Monday, Aug. 17, to negotiate price and terms on four city-owned properties, including the commercially significant Parking Lot H at 255 El Camino Real.

City Manager Lisa K. Goldman and City Attorney Michael Guina led the negotiations on behalf of the city during the closed session, held at 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room A at City Hall, according to the closed-session agenda. The session was conducted under California Government Code Section 54956.8, which governs real property negotiations and does not require public disclosure of terms until a final agreement is reached.

The four properties on the table:

Parking Lot H, 255 El Camino Real — the city is the sole negotiating party
1440 Chapin Ave. — counterparties include 1440 Chapin Owner, LLC and Golden 1 Credit Union
501 Primrose Road (current City Hall) — the city is the sole negotiating party
Mitten Road/Gilbreth Road parcel — the counterparty is the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration

All five council members were present: Mayor Michael Brownrigg, Vice Mayor Andrea Pappajohn, Donna Colson, Desiree Thayer and Peter Stevenson.

Parking Lot H headed to market

At the regular meeting that followed at 7 p.m., the council's consent calendar listed a resolution to authorize Goldman to negotiate and execute an agreement with CBRE for commercial real estate broker services for the sale of Parking Lot H. The lot sits along El Camino Real, where a groundbreaking ceremony for the El Camino Real Roadway Renewal Project was held in December 2025.

The Aug. 17 regular meeting agenda also included a resolution to commit $2.4 million from the city's Capital Investment Reserve as a local match for final design of the Broadway Grade Separation Project, and a separate resolution seeking Metropolitan Transportation Commission funding for the Chapin Avenue Streetscape Project. No minutes confirming passage were available at press time.

City Hall move shapes Chapin corridor

The 1440 Chapin Ave. negotiation ties directly to the city's plan to relocate City Hall. The council approved the lease-to-purchase deal on Feb. 18, 2025, covering 26,522 square feet of the building at a purchase price of $34.5 million, with acquisition due by June 30, 2027. Staff was scheduled to begin moving in after Aug. 1, 2026.

The city said in April 2025 that the existing City Hall at 501 Primrose Road had deteriorated to the point where capital improvements would cost roughly $35 million. At that time, no decisions had been made about the old building's future. The Aug. 17 closed session marks the first public indication that the city is actively negotiating on the Primrose Road site.

Next door at 1430 Chapin Ave., a developer has applied to demolish the existing two-story Chase Bank building and construct a five-story office building with Chase Bank remaining on the ground floor, according to a city economic development report. No approval has been confirmed.