BURLINGAME – The city of Burlingame is moving forward with a smoking ban in the Broadway business district.
The move comes after the president and members of the Broadway Business Improvement District raised concerns about secondhand smoke, litter and customer complaints about smoking in the neighborhood.
“People are chatting outside the front doors of various places of business, and while they’re smoking and chatting, the smoke comes into the business,” said Broadway Business Improvement District (BID) President John Kevranian, who also owns Nuts for Candy and Toys. . “It has been a problem for several years. I think the time has come for me to take the initiative.”
Kevranian says he’s heard complaints about the issue over the years from other business owners, customers, employees and locals. The problem worsened in recent years when the parks grew, he says.
“When you have people standing outside for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 individuals smoking at the same time, it can be very disturbing,” he said.
Kevranian brought the idea of a smoking ban to the city late last year. City staff surveyed 38 businesses to get their take on the matter. 25 supported it, one did not and 12 refused to weigh in.
During a February meeting, the City Council approved a pilot program banning smoking in front of all Broadway businesses that face the street. The ban is not limited to cigarettes; it includes vapes, marijuana and tobacco.
“The next is to try to put up signs around Broadway and let people know that we don’t smoke on Broadway,” Kevranian said. “We’re not the only city in the Bay Area to do this. There are many other cities that have passed smoking bans in their business areas.”
City leaders and Kevranian acknowledge that implementation will be a complicated process. For the pilot program, city staff suggested a long grace period before enforcement action, partnered with widespread education about the ban. Additionally, those in the BID should be prepared to self-police during testing.
Lucy Dul, who owns Burlingame Laguna Florist on Broadway, hopes people will follow the new rules. However, she is not sure that self-policing and signage will be enough.
“At least we start somewhere to tell them not to smoke, but I don’t know how effective it will be,” she said. “We hope they follow the rule and respect other people who don’t smoke.”
Kevranian thinks education, signage and reminders from business owners will be enough to make a difference and that the ban will benefit the larger community.
“It’s a win-win for our community, and also for the environment,” he said. “This will make a huge difference. More families will spend more time on the street shopping and patronize our businesses.”
City staff will draft an ordinance that the City Council will consider at one of their meetings in March. Similar bans are already in effect in Walnut Creek, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz.
