Seven Burlingame businesses are vying for the city's 2026 Business Landscape Award, while two appeals challenge the removal of a protected Coastal Redwood on Montero Avenue. Both items land before the Beautification Commission on Thursday, August 6.
The commission will vote on award nominees that span downtown Burlingame Avenue to El Camino Real. Caffe Central (1380 Burlingame Ave.), Sally's Spa (1360 Broadway), Hadia's Skin Care (1199 Howard Ave.), and Duggan's Serra Burlingame (100 El Camino Real) headline the list, joined by Wachter Investment at 49 Park Road, 1201 Howard Avenue LLC, and Ingold-Milldale Office Property at 840 Hinkley Road, according to the commission's agenda.
Commissioners nominated businesses from their assigned zones, with selections due by Thursday, July 2 after maps were distributed at the June 4 meeting. Commissioner Marcia Bauer put forward Caffe Central and Sally's Spa; Chair Richard Kirchner nominated Hadia's Skin Care and the Hinkley Road property; Commissioner Carol Batte nominated Duggan's Serra and Wachter Investment; and Commissioner Sean Chu nominated 1201 Howard Avenue LLC.
Hadia's Skin Care, which features a landscaped garden with a fountain, olive trees, and decorative lighting at its entrance, is a repeat nominee. At the commission's August 7, 2025 meeting, Bauer described the Howard Avenue business as "very pretty," highlighting its fountain and flowers. It lost that year to Penflora Designs.
The winner receives a framed photo and a window sticker, with a formal presentation at a City Council meeting this fall.
Contested redwood removal
The meeting's second major item is a public hearing on an appeal of City Arborist Richard Holtz's decision to approve removal of a 100-inch-circumference Coastal Redwood at 1347 Montero Ave. Two separate appeals were filed during the public notice period.
The tree qualifies as protected under Burlingame Municipal Code Chapter 11.06, which covers any private tree with a circumference of 44 inches or more. The ordinance dates to 1975 and was last updated in December 2024.
Holtz found the redwood has fair health but poor structure, with a major codominant leader beginning at the base that significantly increases the likelihood of failure. The tree grows roughly four feet from the property's garage, and its roots are actively pressing on the garage wall and concrete floor.
"The tree has overgrown its planting space, is causing structural damage, and will continue to do so," Holtz wrote in his staff report.
A separate mature Coastal Redwood at the same property was approved for removal in February 2026 due to declining health. The property was subsequently sold, and the new owners applied to remove this second tree. Arborist reports from Advanced Tree Care and Kielty Arborist Service support the application.
The commission can uphold Holtz's approval, deny the removal, or request more information for a future meeting.
How to weigh in
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, August 6 at the Burlingame Community Center, 850 Burlingame Ave. Residents can also join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 863 7509 6191, Passcode: 121031) or submit written comments to [email protected] by noon on August 6.
