In good company

New buildings generally bring new businesses, and the ones recently built in Redwood City are no exception. Everyone living in Redwood City is probably familiar with the pair of brick buildings at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Middlefield Road, the construction of which largely ushered in the transformation of Redwood City’s downtown. Formally known as “Crossing 900,” pretty much everyone refers to them as the “Box” buildings, given that since their completion they’ve served as headquarters for the cloud content management company Box Inc.

The eight-story office building constructed at the corner of Middlefield Road and Marshall Street didn’t sit empty for long; it was snapped up by Goodwin, a large law firm that was looking to open a branch office in Silicon Valley. Although Goodwin occupies the majority of the building — and may now occupy it all — for a time the philanthropic organization created by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan (the “Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” or CZI) also could be found there. CZI’s tenancy was temporary, however; it only needed space until its proper home was completed, at the corner of Broadway and Jefferson Avenue. Having now settled into their new digs, CZI recently preleased another building, this one under construction at 1180 Main St. (across Elm Street from the Main & Elm restaurant). It’s nice to see that as they grow, they’re strengthening their commitment to Redwood City.

On a recent walk to explore Redwood City’s waterfront, I returned via the Maple Street freeway overpass. Nearing Veterans Boulevard, I was attracted by activity in the former Kohlweiss Auto Parts space in the Veterans Square shopping center. I watched from the street, hoping for clues as to who might be moving in, but to no avail. There were no corporate signs on the building, but a closer inspection revealed a company logo affixed to the front door — one I did not recognize. Moving to the side door, I finally struck gold. A temporary sign identified the new tenant as “Dexterity.” Dexterity is not a retail outfit, as I had presumed, but instead is a tech startup. From Dexterity’s website, I learned that it is in the business of designing and building “dexterous” robots of the type used in warehouses to pick and pack products for shipment. And they’ve selected Redwood City to be their first real home.

Numerous walks through downtown Redwood City provided me with a front row seat to the transformation of the old “Pizza and Pints” restaurant on Winslow Street into an attractive, airy office space. That space was snapped up upon completion, but there, too, a lack of signs on the building’s exterior challenged me to figure out who that tenant was. Eventually, I learned that the small building is now Avidbank’s loan processing office (Avidbank is a San Jose-based banking outfit). Admittedly, these folks are not new to Redwood City. Previously they were located at the corner of Main Street and Middlefield Road.

Most recently, Pioneer Seafoods, a fishing boat from which you can buy freshly caught fish, moved to Redwood City from its former San Francisco home. With the addition of a bright yellow food trailer, Pioneer sells not only fresh fish, but also cooked items including fish tacos and fish and chips. Both the boat and the trailer can be found at the end of Seaport Court, adjacent to the city’s public fishing pier. Although this new-to-Redwood City business did not come as a result of development within the city, it’s here thanks to the city’s easy, and somewhat unique, access to the Bay waters.

Redwood City’s recent building boom is punctuating a city that has really come into its own. Once a city that was known mainly as a great place to live, it has become a place that companies of all shapes and sizes also proudly call home.

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.