Archived News Release from 2003

For Immediate Release

Conceptual Design for New Courthouse Square Moves Forward as Second Public Workshop is Scheduled

Redwood City, CA - November 24, 2003 - The second public workshop for the design of the future Courthouse Square has been scheduled for Thursday, December 11th from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue in Redwood City.

This is the second of four planned workshops, and members of the community are invited to participate in reviewing the Initial Design Concept Alternatives. Participants will have the opportunity to comment on and ultimately decide which concepts will be refined during the final two workshops, which will take place early next year.

The concept of the Courthouse Square is to be reminiscent of a time when every downtown had a central gathering place, a plaza, or a town square. Those spaces provided a comfortable place for people to gather, meet, and be part of a real community. Redwood City intends to have such a central downtown gathering space again, and the Courthouse Square design workshops are an important part of ensuring that such a public space meets the community’s needs and desires.

The City’s intent is to remove the ‘annex’ building and restore the façade of the old Courthouse on Broadway, across from the Fox Theater. With the annex gone, the opportunity will exist to create a great public space for the community, an open plaza in front of the courthouse, which will bring pedestrians and new life and vitality to the Downtown area. Ultimately this will be the primary Downtown open space, the social and symbolic “heart of the city,” and one of the keys to restoring Redwood City’s historic downtown. It’s part of the renaissance of our Downtown that is coming together, and part of building a great community together.

Visit Redwood City’s website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and City government.

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Claudia Olalla
650-780-7263
Dan Zack
650-780-7363