"Same night, same city, different venue."
Musician Aki Kumar said that while describing how a Wednesday blues jam ended up at Alhambra Irish House. The phrase fits most of what changed downtown this fall. A street block, a dog park and a weekly music night all lost their old spots between spring and October. Each one now has a new home within a short drive. Meanwhile, the corner at Spring, Marshall and Walnut has been fenced off for a building that's about two years away.
The Block That Closed on September 1
On Tuesday, September 1, Spring Street between Main and Walnut closed for good. Walking Redwood City reported that the construction fence around the former Wells Fargo Bank building now also takes in that block and the small triangular parklet bounded by Spring, Marshall and Walnut.
For drivers, the change shows up in one spot. The short stretch of Spring Street that still branches off Broadway now dead-ends. It has new right-turn arrows and a stop sign, so the only way out is a right onto Walnut, which runs one way north between Broadway and Marshall. At Marshall you stop, but Marshall traffic doesn't. The blog expects more cars to stay on Marshall and use Maple or Chestnut to reach Broadway.
The land is going to a single project. On July 27 the City Council voted to sell the 21,104-square-foot strip of Spring Street and the parklet next to it to Lane Partners for $10.75 million, according to the Redwood City Pulse. The plan is a seven-story office and retail building at 1900 Broadway, with a public plaza and a community room. Walking Redwood City puts completion "a couple of years from now." By then, Walnut should carry two-way traffic.
The same vote changed the project's affordable housing partner site. A proposed Eden Housing affordable apartment project at 847 Woodside Road is out. In its place is a five-story, 76-unit affordable senior apartment project at 705 Veterans Blvd.
The Dogs Went to Main and Beech
The parklet inside that fence had one regular use. Since the Main Street Dog Agility Park was under construction, the Elco Yards team fenced the Spring and Marshall parklet as a temporary off-leash area. The City always planned for it to be temporary. It stayed open through August 31 and closed September 1 to make room for 1900 Broadway.
The timing worked. The Main Street Dog Agility Park at 1295 Main Street at Beech was finished by the end of July, and the City held a small reopening "pawty" there on August 29 from 3 to 6 p.m. The upgrade came through the Elco Yards development, and the City's list of improvements includes:
- separate areas for large and small dogs
- new ground cover and dog-safe fencing with gates
- K-rails with fencing above along Spring Street
- drinking fountains, dog bag stations and trash cans
- lighting and underground utility service
- replacement agility equipment
According to Walking Redwood City, the parklet got little use before the dog park went in, apart from dog owners in nearby buildings. The blog also says the rebuilt Main Street park is "even bigger and better than before." For anyone who walked a dog to Marshall Street every morning, the trip to Beech is longer. The park at the end of it is the more fully equipped of the two.
Wednesday Blues Found a New Room
The music move came first. The Club Fox blues jam ended this spring after about 20 years. Alhambra Irish House, the Irish gastropub at 831 Main St., stepped in to keep it on Wednesdays. Aki Kumar and his band, The SBGs, host the jam, starting Wednesday, October 7. In this format, Kumar's band plays all night and invites other musicians up.
One detail to check before you go is the start time. The Pulse's September 30 story lists 7 to 10 p.m. Alhambra's own event calendar lists 8 to 11 p.m. with no cover. The venue's listing is the newer source, so plan for 8 p.m. unless Alhambra updates it.
Red Morton Park Picks Up the Slack
Look at the fall calendar and a pattern shows up. More of it now happens at Red Morton Park. Besides the Main Street park, the City added a new dog park in Red Morton Park, behind the Veterans Memorial Building and Senior Center. It started as a pilot and is now permanent, with separate, double-gated areas for large and small dogs. The City notes it's close to the Magical Bridge Playground, the sports fields and the skatepark.
The City's Halloween Spooktacular is there too. It runs Saturday, October 24, from noon to 3 p.m. at Red Morton Community Center, 1120 Roosevelt Ave. Courthouse Square isn't the location. Families who think of downtown as the default spot for city events should put the Roosevelt Avenue address on the calendar.
What Is Still Happening Downtown in October
Downtown hasn't gone quiet. The schedule is busier now that the summer series are over. Music on the Square ended its 2026 season on September 4, and Downtown Oktoberfest wrapped at Courthouse Square on September 27. Here's what's left this month, in order:
- Tuesday, Oct. 6, 5–7 p.m. The Library Lot B Redevelopment Community Open House at the Downtown Library, 1044 Middlefield Road, with orientation sessions at 5 and 6. This is one more downtown parcel being planned for something new.
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5–9 p.m. The Library Foundation's Upscale Pub Crawl checks in at the Downtown Library. That's the same night the Alhambra jam starts.
- Friday, Oct. 9. BXS BRYNDIS & CAMNINANTES at the Fox Theatre, 2215 Broadway.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 11–11:45 a.m. Lucha Libro: Where Books Enter the Ring! on the Downtown Library plaza.
- Saturday, Oct. 17. The 47th Palestine Culture Day at Courthouse Square, noon to 8 p.m. IV OF SPADES plays the Fox that night. At the library, A Historical Look at the Art of Drag runs 2 to 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6–7:30 p.m. Días de Muertos: Mini ofrendas at the Downtown Library.
- Saturday, Oct. 24. A Diwali Celebration and Bollywood Dance Workshop at the library from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Viaje Tropical con Tony Succar & Mauricio Mesones at the Fox that evening.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. Halloween crafts at the Downtown Library while supplies last. Foreverland and Starman SF bring a liquid light show to the Fox for Halloween night.
The Saturday routine hasn't changed. The Redwood City Kiwanis Certified Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Arguello Street between Broadway and Brewster through November.
Broadway Stays Torn Up a Little Longer
If downtown driving still feels slow, there's a second reason besides Spring Street. The City's Broadway Pavement Overlay & Curb Ramp Project began July 6. The original estimate was up to three months of work. The City's project page now lists it as under construction, with a November 2026 end date. The work includes repaving, curb and sidewalk work, bike-lane changes and crossing upgrades. Two of the segments are downtown, between Maple and Chestnut and between Winslow and Marshall. Maple and Chestnut are also the streets Walking Redwood City expects Marshall traffic to use. For the rest of the fall, that part of downtown has two projects going at once.
Some downtown storefronts changed as well. CRU Wine Shop & Bar has closed at Crossing 900, the Box building nearest Caltrain. A short distance away on El Camino Real, things are filling in. Mr. Pan Bistro started serving Taiwanese comfort food at 711 El Camino Real on September 17, in the former Redwood Bistro space. House of Humor expanded from 729 El Camino Real into the unit next door at 731 and reopened the bigger shop on September 1, in time for Halloween shopping.
The next fixed date downtown is Hometown Holidays on Saturday, December 12. The City says it will post the full parade and tree-lighting details this fall.
If you own a home near the 1900 Broadway site or the Main Street corridor, you may be wondering how two years of construction and a new plaza affect what your place is worth. Darlene Perry follows these downtown changes block by block and can explain them in plain terms. Start with a free home valuation, or read more about Redwood City in Is Redwood City the Right First Peninsula Home Base.
