Lately a lot of public EV chargers have been popping up around Redwood City. If you look at how EVs are suddenly being discouraged (or, at least, no longer encouraged) by our federal government, the timing seems odd. Then again, California still remains supportive of electric vehicles, and the recent spike in gasoline prices apparently has a lot of people looking into switching to an EV, be it new or used. And, of course, like any infrastructure project, these things take a lot of time and advance planning, and so have likely been in the works for a while. Either way, those of us who have (or soon hope to have) an EV are going to find it a lot easier to keep them charged in the near future, especially those folks whose living situation does not provide an easy way to recharge one’s electric vehicle. I am fortunate in that I own my own home, and many years ago I had a 220v circuit and a Type 2 EV charger installed in my garage, so I’m not likely to use one of these new chargers much, if ever. Then again, some of these new chargers are Type 3 (DC Fast Chargers), and thus can charge your average electric vehicle to 80% in 30 minutes or so. Thus, if I ever need to quickly charge my own EV — my garage charger requires several hours to fully charge our EV — I would seek one of these out.

Back in February I wrote a post about some new EV fast chargers that had been installed at the 7-Eleven store on Woodside Road. In that post I also mentioned that some EV chargers were apparently being added in the Roosevelt Center parking lot (where Upton Street meets Roosevelt Avenue). Those chargers are now in place, and although they have not yet been activated, they seem just about ready to be. There are a lot more than I had originally thought: I now count 16 Type 2 chargers and six Type 3 chargers. Those Type 3 chargers are all lined up along Roosevelt Avenue, just to the left of the entrance to the parking lot:

As for the Type 2 chargers, some are along the Fairview Avenue side of the parking lot, and some are located on poles between parking spaces in the center of the lot. Here is what those slower Type 2 chargers look like:

It appears that you’ll need to use the Evolv Charging app, but assuming that there are no other options, be sure to check the reviews of the app on your smartphone’s app store before proceeding. I just took a look, and read a lot from disappointed or downright angry customers with nary a positive comment among them. There may turn out to be other options — a straight tap-to-pay using a credit card and no app would be ideal! — and it’s slightly possible I’m looking at reviews for the wrong app, so do your own research and don’t take my word for it. I certainly plan to investigate further once these things have been activated.

Just across Roosevelt Avenue, Key Market is also getting in on the action: they are in the process of installing five of the same Type 3 chargers in their parking lot along Upton Street:

I presume that these will work the same way, but I couldn’t get close enough to be sure. These I could almost see using: my wife and I regularly shop at Key Market, and if we could do a nearly full recharge in just the time we are in the market (for us, a 30-minute trip is not at all out of the question), we might just do it, depending upon the actual cost of the charge. We do patronize the shopping center across the street, but our trips there are usually pretty quick: mostly, we are either picking something up at Big Brother’s Burgers or at Prima Deli. In any case, for those of you with EVs who don’t have convenient home charging, these may just be a really good option.

If the many chargers being installed near the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Upton Street aren’t enough, the city has installed a couple of chargers in the new parking lot just to the left of the new Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center. These are the more familiar ChargePoint chargers you find elsewhere in Red Morton Park and at various city buildings and parking garages:

Look closely at the above and you can see that there is also a two-port charger up against the building, amidst the parking spaces reserved for the disabled.

On the subject of the Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center, there is a note on the door announcing the following:

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Monday, May 4 at 12:00 p.m. (I’ll be there!)
• Lunch Program Begins: Tuesday, May 5 (for seniors, presumably)
• Senior Classes and Programs Begin: Monday, June 8

The note also reminds us that the old VMSC, just next door, remains open for business, for now.

While I was in Red Morton Park taking the above photographs, I checked in on the park’s dog area, which is being transformed from temporary to permanent. The new metal fencing that is replacing the temporary PVC-pipe-and-plastic-mesh fence is nearly complete:

Afterwards, I headed over to Veterans Boulevard to look for myself at the old Sizzler restaurant building, which according to NextDoor rumors may be transforming into a Mediterranean restaurant. While I could find no evidence to indicate the actual type of restaurant this is becoming (they have yet to apply for a liquor license, for one thing, and the building permits don’t give specifics), it is indeed being turned into a restaurant of some sort:

Note that the chairs are still wrapped for protection. And note all the flowers and plants. Whatever it turns out to be, the exterior of the building has been painted, and it looks nice:

No signage yet, which would probably provide a major clue as to the type of restaurant it’ll become. But we’ll likely find out fairly soon.

Next, I once again took a lap around the project underway at 557 E. Bayshore, where the Century Park 12 Theaters used to be. Framing of the large apartment building’s fifth (top) floor is nearly complete:

But I’ve been showing you the progress of this building for quite some time now. Of more interest to me now is the other project that is well underway on the other side of the parcel, out towards E. Bayshore Road and close to the Hopkins Acura dealership building:

This is the site of the new VillaSport Athletic Club, and although you need to look closely, you can see that the workers are making good progress now. Just to the left of those metal trusses in the center of the photo you should be able to just make out forms for the new building’s foundation. Once the concrete has been poured and has set, the large (97,000 square feet spread over two levels) building will begin to rise up from the ground. But don’t expect to see much for a while just by driving by: the fencing along this section of E. Bayshore Road has now been blocked off with a large “coming soon” notice for the new club:

Thus, the only way to see what is going on, at least until the building rises above the height of the fence, is to park and walk. And that’s a bit tricky, as I can attest (but I’ll keep doing it, and I’ll keep reporting what I find). At least we now know that the club aims to open in 2027, and we now have a website (from that QR code in the above picture) that shows just what Redwood City’s new “premier athletic club” will be offering (there are a number of these clubs around the country that differ in various ways). Note that the website includes a link to join a waitlist, for those to whom this appeals…

Finally, there is this storefront, next to Gourmet Haus Staudt & Beer Garden:

Some time ago I was told that one of the family behind Gourmet Haus Staudt was working on an idea for this former spa space, and it seems that they have finally settled on something. On May 12, Grant Staudt will be going before the Redwood City Zoning Administrator to request permission to “establish a bar and cafe” in this next-door space. At the moment I don’t have any additional details, but after the Zoning Administrator meeting I expect to have plenty that I of course will share.

Thursday, May 14, Yelp, the City of Redwood City, and the Redwood City Parks & Arts Foundation will be presenting Taste on the Square, an event to raise funds for Music on the Square, the city’s regular summer series of Friday night downtown concerts. Taste on the Square will run from 5 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. For a suggested $20 donation, guests (aged 21 and over only) will be able to enjoy tastes and drinks from “beloved local businesses,” plus “interactive activities and live music from Sound Union.” You must RSVP via Yelp to attend; see this web page for a link and instructions on how to do just that. And mark your calendar so you don’t forget to attend!