I was happy to see that the new McDonald’s restaurant on Woodside Road did indeed open for business before the end of the year. Although I have yet to go by in person to verify that customers can go inside to at least purchase their food (I understand that on the first day or two, at least, that was not an option), I’ve heard that the drive-thru lanes are in operation. So unless I discover that this truly is a drive-thru only restaurant (which I don’t believe), you likely have heard the last from me on this particular project.

I also still need to go by the office project at 1390 Woodside Rd. (near Woodside Plaza, and pictured above) to see whether the construction fencing has finally come down. I last went by on December 18, and noted that not only had the shattered glass pane on the upstairs balcony been repaired, but that the parking areas had been nicely finished with brick pavers and painted lines delineating parking spaces:

Shortly after taking the above photos my wife and I took off for the Pacific Northwest to celebrate the holidays with our kids and grandkids, and I’ve not yet gotten over to Woodside Road to check on this project and the McDonald’s. Hopefully, though, the chain-link fences are down and I can put this project, too, to bed. I should point out that just because the project is (almost?) done, that doesn’t mean that it has a tenant: I’ve never figured out whether this one was being built for a particular client or on spec. But I suspect that we’ll know the answer soon: either someone will move in relatively soon, or we’ll see “For Lease” signs go up.

One thing I did manage to do before heading north for the holidays is to pay a visit to Pizzeria Cardamomo. My wife and I went there for dinner along with another couple, which not only enabled me to get an instant second opinion, it allowed us all to sample a somewhat wider range of menu items. Not that we ranged very far: each couple ordered a pizza (different kinds, though) and a pasta dish (again, slightly different dishes). We also ended up splitting a bottle of wine and ordering two desserts. Overall, our meal received four enthusiastic thumbs up; we were delighted with everything we were served. Note that Chef Momo is making authentic Italian pizzas, having previously run a pizzeria by the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Thus, the fare is kept relatively simple, with most sporting only a handful of high-quality ingredients. But doing so lets those ingredients shine, and indeed they do. My wife and I ordered the Margherita DOP pizza (made with Buffalo mozzarella) and it was excellent. So, too, was our Pomodoro Basilico, which consisted of perfectly cooked rigatoni pasta with a light sauce made from slow-cooked tomatoes, plus basil and parmigiano reggiano. That dish was so good we almost finished eating it before I remembered to take a picture:

For dessert, we ordered both a Tiramisu and a vanilla Panna Cotta with seasonal fruit sauce. Again, our table was unanimous: both were terrific. And I thought the Panna Cotta was particularly photogenic:

We will definitely be going back. Currently, Pizzeria Cardamomo is only open for dinner starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (they are closed on Monday). You’ll find them in the corner space on Broadway that for a time was Sushirrito: at 2053 Broadway. Oh, and do go in and eat at the restaurant. Although I think they do takeout, their food is best enjoyed right from the oven. Note that they have outside seating if you prefer that to eating indoors.

I meant to mention this a couple of weeks ago, when I noticed the sign on the door of the Hotel Sequoia: apparently the owners of the hotel are letting the Center for Creativity make use of the hotel’s “rotunda lobby” as a hub for their brand of visual and performing arts. The agreement apparently runs for two years, which indicates to me that the redevelopment of the hotel isn’t happening anytime soon. Although apparently operating under the auspices of Casa Circulo Cultural, the Center for Creativity is currently seeking donations. So if the idea of a dedicated creative space in downtown Redwood City appeals to you, consider making a donation and helping this relatively new organization reach its $50,000 goal.

A couple of weeks ago the Redwood City Planning Commission reviewed and ultimately approved the housing project proposed for 590 Veterans Blvd. and 91 Winslow St. Why two addresses? Although the project as planned is a single multi-story residential building, it would extend west from Veterans Boulevard out to Winslow Street, and would actually have two main entrances with two lobbies, one on each end of the building. How the mailing addresses would work for this building I cannot say, but unlike most of the multi-family residential buildings throughout Redwood City, this one really would have two different faces.

This new residential building would occupy what today is two separate (but combined, for the project) parcels, one along Veterans and one along Winslow. It would be an immediate neighbor to the five-and-a-half story Radius Apartments building. The Veterans Boulevard parcel is currently occupied by Buy Sell Loan Pawn Services:

As for the parcel located at 91 Winslow St., it currently stands empty:

Planned for the site is an attractive Mediterranean-style six-story building, with the bottom two floors consisting almost entirely of parking garage and the upper four floors containing 91 residential units. The ground floor on both ends would also contain the building’s lobbies, and on the Winslow St. end there would also be four additional residences: four two-story townhouse-style units with exterior entrances and small entry patios. These townhouses would each have two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, with the bedrooms on the upper floor and the living, dining, and kitchen spaces on the lower. Each townhouse would also have a rear entrance, providing internal access to and from not only the building’s Winslow Street lobby but also the building’s internal parking garage.

As for 91 residential units that make up the majority of the development, they would be accessed through one of the building’s two lobbies, each of which would of course have an elevator and a door into the central garage. These apartments would range in size from one-bedroom, one-bathroom to three-bedroom, two-bathroom units. Size-wise, the smallest would be 730 square feet while the largest (the three-bedroom units, naturally) would be 1,300 square feet. Not counted in that square footage would be each apartment’s private balcony.

As for parking, that would be provided by a two-level, 150-space above-ground parking garage. 135 of the spaces would be for the building’s residents, while 15 would be for guest parking. And 95 of the garage’s stalls would be EV ready. Access to the garage would be through a single entrance/exit on Veterans Boulevard.

From Veterans Boulevard, the architect intends for the building to look something like this:

For those of us passing by via the widened front sidewalk, the view would be a bit more interesting:

From the rear, here is what the building would look like:

Note how the building steps down as it approaches the street, making it less of a looming monolith to the many residences just across the street. The rear lobby would be accessed through the large archway in the part of the building that protrudes towards Winslow. But look closely at the rest of the building’s rear facade: the four smaller arches (one to the left of the lobby, three to the right) are the private entrances to the four townhouse-style units.

A common outdoor space private to the building’s residents would be located on the third floor, just atop the parking garage level on the Radius Apartments side of the building. It would have a shallow pool (suitable for wading, but not much else), an outdoor courtyard, and a clubhouse.

If you’ve read this far, you might have noticed that I haven’t said whether these units would be for-sale or for-rent. That is because the developer doesn’t plan to make that particular decision until the last minute, based on the prevailing economic climate. Right now, they plan for the building to be made up of for-sale condominiums, but if rental apartments make more sense when they are ready to demolish the pawn shop, each unit’s cabinetry and other interior finishes will be adjusted accordingly (as will the door and window packages used throughout the building, apparently). Either way, though, ten of the building’s 95 total units will be made affordable at the Very Low income level, meaning that they will be priced (either for rent or for sale) for households making in total no more than 50% of the median income in San Mateo County.

The Redwood City Planning Commission was unanimous in agreeing that this is a wonderful project, and something that Redwood City badly needs. Thus, they approved it relatively quickly, without a great deal of discussion specific to the project itself. This project has been in the works for over five years now, and with the Planning Commission’s approval in hand the developer can move on to the next steps towards getting this building built. As someone who walks by this project site relatively often (mostly on the Veterans Boulevard side) I for one would find that walk just a bit better than it is today. And as for those of you who cycle through the area, I would be remiss to not mention that with this project comes a bit of Class IV bike lane (the highest level of protection) on the Winslow Street side. While I know we can use far more of this throughout Redwood City, give the developer credit for getting the ball rolling in the city’s Centennial neighborhood.