And then there were 3

Courthouse Square came about in 2005 when the city tore down the Courthouse Annex, a three-story building that since 1939 had stood in front of the courthouse. Not only had that annex eliminated the original plaza, it had also blocked the view of the courthouse’s beautiful façade. Thanks to the city, both the historic courthouse and the square that sits in front of it once again play an essential part in the life of the city.

While our current plaza was created by the city, the possible new ones would be created as part of some of the city’s many development projects. Because the project has already been approved, the most likely plaza to appear is a component of Greystar Development’s large ELCO Yards (aka “South Main Mixed-Use”) project, which I expect will soon break ground just south of Redwood City’s downtown.

ELCO Yards’ plaza — they call it a “public open space” — is slated for the corner of Main and Chestnut streets, where the historic metal “Perry’s Feed” shed is located today. Although for various reasons the original shed cannot be preserved, Greystar plans to construct a restaurant in its image, one that would open onto their new public plaza.

The project’s preliminary plans are short on detail, but the plaza appears likely to be more parklike and less a sea of concrete, unlike Courthouse Square. That should make for a more comfortable and inviting space, especially during the hot summer months. As for its size, at just more than 12,000 square feet, it would be smaller than the entirety of Courthouse Square but would be similar to the open plaza between the kiosks.

Greystar’s project appears on track to become a reality in a handful of years. I personally am looking forward to enjoying their plaza, and the adjacent restaurant, when it does. But Greystar’s isn’t the only new plaza I may find myself enjoying. A recently advanced proposal — one physically closer to Courthouse Square — could bring yet another public plaza to Redwood City.

On Monday, the City Council reviewed Lane Partners’ updated “1900 Broadway” project, a project that had failed to make the original cut during the city’s “Gatekeeper Process.” During Monday’s meeting, the council agreed to initiate the process of amending both the General Plan and the Downtown Precise Plan in accordance with this, and one other, proposed project. While the two projects remain a long way from possible approval, they can now be formally submitted to the city, to work their way through the process.

As proposed, 1900 Broadway would be a seven-story office, residential and retail building on the corner of Broadway and Main Street where Wells Fargo Bank’s downtown branch is located today. The building that Lane Partners hopes to construct would form an “L” around an 11,000-square-foot public plaza located at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. Note that this design only works if Lane Partners can purchase both the portion of Spring Street that abuts their property and a roughly 4,500 square foot triangular parklet just across Spring Street, something that will depend upon the results of a traffic analysis that’ll be required as part of their approval process.

This new plaza — which Lane Partners is calling “Public Commons” — should have a number of community-friendly amenities. Although the actual design has yet to be worked out — it will be community driven — Lane Partners pictures it having “a child-friendly fountain, game spaces and shaded area for outdoor dining and interaction with the adjacent retail spaces.” And they envision it featuring movies at night, complementing activities at Courthouse Square.

Given that Lane Partners’ new plaza would be separated from Courthouse Square by three blocks of Broadway that are chock full of restaurants and entertainments, it would strengthen the area’s nighttime scene, and further encourage foot traffic throughout downtown. Of course, the project is still a long way from approval, much less construction, and may never come to fruition. If it does, however, and assuming that Greystar builds ELCO Yards as it intends, within the next five to 10 years Redwood City could find itself with three separate locations where one could watch outdoor movies, enjoy music and attend art festivals. Three! Considering all of the good that Courthouse Square has done for Redwood City, it boggles the imagination to consider what three such plazas might do.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.