As a handful of people let me know in response to my last post, Redwood City has officially announced that the ribbon-cutting for its new Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center will be held on May 4, at noon. I was also informed that last Friday the city removed the construction fences from around that building. Thus, although it is not yet open to the public, this week I was able to walk around the building and peek into some of the windows (blinds are down on many of them right now, making it nigh-on impossible to see inside — although the glass doors to the lobby are not obstructed, so you can at least see into that part of the building). It sure looks good:

From the parking lot located between this new building and Red Morton Park’s Kiwanis Field, the back entrance looks like this:

And the interior arms of the L-shaped building (which touch upon Mitchell “49’er” Field), look like this:

That open-air upper-level area will be a great place from which to watch soccer games on that field.

Back around the front, the “promenade” that runs the length of the building is a pleasant place to walk, although it’ll be even better once the new trees have had a few years to mature:

And the pergola that bridges between this new building and the future YMCA (which is to be constructed on the site of the old Veterans Memorial/Senior Center next door) is shady and cool; it’ll be a delightful place to sit and rest on hot days:

I’ll of course have plenty of indoor pictures once this new building is open to the public, but for now, feel free to walk around and explore the area for yourself. The Veterans Memorial Building/Senior Center can be found at 1333 Madison Ave., at the intersection of Madison and Nevada St.

Just down Vera Avenue, near El Camino Real, the seven-story affordable housing project at 112 Vera continues to make steady progress, with the floor that divides the building’s first and second levels having been extended out to Vera (previously, much of the work had been confined to the rear 2/3 of the property, presumably leaving the front largely undeveloped as a place where equipment and materials could be placed):

Out along the bay, the large apartment building being built where the Century Park 12 Theaters used to be located (at 557 E. Bayshore Road) is receiving framing for its top (fifth-floor) level:

From E. Bayshore Road (the above view was taken from the walkway along the bay) it still looks like a four-story building, but in the following photo look at the top right edge of the building and you can see that work on the fifth floor is approaching.

Although still in the preliminary planning stage, the building we may someday see rise at the corner of Veterans Boulevard and Brewster Avenue (at 705 Veterans Blvd., kitty-corner from the currently underway hotel project) continues to have its design tweaked. It is still to be a five-story, 76-unit affordable senior apartment project, but the look of the building has changed. Previously, it was slated to look something like this:

The updated design, though is softer and, to my eye, more attractive. It looks like this:

It is still planned to be an L-shaped building, at least from level two on up (level one will occupy pretty much the entire parcel, and will contain a 36-space parking garage in addition to the building’s entry lobby and a handful of utility rooms). The mix of apartments in the building has shifted slightly, however. Previously, the plans called for 35 studios and 40 one-bedroom units, plus a two-bedroom manager’s unit. In the current design, the building now shows 42 studios and 33 one-bedroom units, plus that same manager’s apartment. In both designs, an outdoor area for the exclusive use of the building’s residents will be located within the arms of the ‘L’, on the second floor above the parking garage.

I’m always encouraged when plans are updated like this; it indicates that the developer — Eden Housing, in this case — still intends to go ahead with their project. And, of course, I always like to see these kinds of tweaks, which indicate that the developer is not only continuing to think about what is best for both their future tenants and for the city, but also that they are taking into account feedback that they have received from the city and the public (this project was introduced on October 27, 2025 at a City Council Public Information meeting).

Saturday, April 25, is “Independent Bookstore Day.” Do consider dropping by Redwood City’s premier independent bookstore, Fireside Books & More, to say “hi” and perhaps to pick up a new read. Fireside plans to have “commemorative goodies” and “special snacks,” at least until those run out. Fireside Books & More is located at 2421 Broadway, where Broadway curves up against the Caltrain tracks. It’ll be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday (Fireside is open seven days a week starting at 10 a.m., and closes at 8 p.m. each night except for Sunday, when it closes at 6).