The Burlingame Community Center in Washington Park is a vital and well used community amenity, providing a wide variety of recreation services and programs for children, teens, and adults of all ages. The former building was nearing the end of its useful life – aging systems and finishes were subject to increasingly frequent repairs, while the size and layout limited the Center’s ability to offer modern programming or optimize operational efficiency. Group 4 developed a vision and master plan for improved recreation facilities, working with City staff, stakeholders, and the community to assess community needs for recreation services, explore building program concepts, and develop options for renovation/expansion as well as new construction.

The community’s preferred development strategy was a new community center to replace the former facility at its existing location within the park. Community space priorities included a large multipurpose program/performance space, dance and exercise/fitness spaces, and classrooms to accommodate a variety of activities. After a collaborative design process exploring building, site, and parking design strategies, the City approved a two-story, 36,000 square foot center anchoring Washington Park. The Center is complemented by surface and below-grade parking, abundant outdoor seating, and a new playground, multi-purpose play court, and picnic area to transition between the building and the rest of the park.