Each spring in Redwood City, the City’s Pride and Beautification Committee coordinates the Mayor’s Beautification Recognition Program. For the 24^th consecutive year, the program will award attractive structural and landscaping improvements in our community. The program recognizes the efforts of residents, non-profit agencies, and businesses to maintain and improve Redwood City. A panel of volunteer judges will review nominations and visit the sites before selecting winners. Applications are due by May 25, and awards will be presented by the Redwood City Council in September.

It is important to acknowledge and award the efforts made within our community to keep Redwood City a beautiful place to live and work! Congratulations to the past award winners and best of luck to those who will enter this year.  

You can find all the information you need to know about the Mayor’s Beautification Recognition Program on the City’s website or by clicking here.

At Redwood City’s “Neighborhood Organizing 101” Workshop they handed out some great information, including a list of 150 things you can do to build social capital in your community. There are some inspiring ideas from bettertogether.org and we wanted to share a few with you.

#4 Support local merchants

Redwood City has something for everyone, so stop by and support your local businesses. Whether you are craving a snickerdoodle cupcake or an authentic German experience, Redwood City is the place to go. Check out some of our favorite hidden gems in Downtown by clicking here.

#66 Say “thanks” to public servants – police, firefighters…

These men and women work hard to keep Redwood City safe and it is important to let them know you appreciate their services. So make sure to say thank you, support their fundraisers, and attend their events. 

#80 Go to a local folks or crafts festival

There are so many great community events in Redwood City. During the summer you can head down to Court House Square in Downtown for music and movie nights. You can also attend the Salsa Festival, Hometown Holidays, and the Fourth of July Parade. Check the City’s website for upcoming events.

#106 Read the local news faithfully

We are fortunate enough to have multiple free news sources available in Redwood City. Take advantage of these resources and pick up a copy of The Spectrum, The San Mateo Daily Journal, and The Daily News. You can also go online and visit the Redwood City Patch.

You can read the entire list of things you can do to build social capital in your community by clicking here.

The Stanford Treeathlon returned for a fifth year in the Port of Redwood City this past Sunday. The Treeathlon is the primary fundraiser for the Stanford Triathlon Team. Teams from UC Davis, UC San Diego, and Santa Clara were just some of the collegiate teams that competed on Sunday. There were participants of all ages since the event was not limited to college athletes.

The participants completed a 500 meter open-water swim, 20 kilometer bike ride, and finished with a 5 kilometer run on Seaport Blvd. I was very impressed with the caliber of the participating athletes. It takes real dedication to willingly jump into the Bay in February! Not to mention, after the swim they had to run barefoot to the transition station where their bikes were waiting.

I had the opportunity to watch the first segment of the race from the Westpoint Harbor House. The view was perfect for watching the swimmers. As I watched the athletes jump into the uninviting water I was grateful to be warm and dry! After watching a majority of the athletes complete their swim I walked over to the transition station and watched the swimmers transform into cyclists. They sprinted around the Pacific Shores Complex and down Seaport Blvd. Once they had completed their bike ride they headed back to the transition station and traded their bikes for running shoes. I was mesmerized with their ability to go from swimmer to cyclist to runner without missing a beat. Some of the athletes even started taking off their cycling gear and preparing for the run before they had even gotten off their bicycles!

I was very impressed with the turnout and the overall athleticism in our area. I would guess there were about 300 or more participating athletes this year. You realize just how much our community needs infrastructures to support these types of healthy activities. The Saltworks site will provide a community with infrastructure that encourages bicycling. Triathletes can use the paths and connections to train for upcoming competitions, while the rest of us can get some light exercise bicycling to work, public transit stops, and the grocery store!

The streets in Downtown Redwood City are lined with charming eateries and bars. Whether you are craving a snickerdoodle cupcake or an authentic German experience Redwood City is the place to go.  Here are just a few local spots that reach a wide variety of interests.

Sweetcakes Cupcakes is the place to go if you are craving something sweet. Rey and Karen Garza, a husband-and-wife team, own and operate this local specialty bakery on Bradford Street. They offer a variety of palate pleasing home-made cupcakes, but their snickerdoodle topped with a mini cookie is a personal favorite.

The Living Room is the place to go to enjoy a quiet night in Redwood City. This local joint feels more like home than a bar with its oversized couches, stacks of board games, and tables decorated with framed family photos. Just a heads up, every Thursday night is Karaoke Night.

Haus Staudt is the place to go if you are in the mood for German beer. Don’t be fooled by the dark store front, just follow the directions on the sign to the bar entrance in the back. The bar offers a wide variety of German beers and authentic food, including an extraordinarily large pretzel.

Sabor Colibri is a great new restaurant right off Broadway Street. The friendly family atmosphere and delicious tortilla chips makes this newcomer a local success. The well-priced menu is filled with authentic Mexican dishes and some unique offerings worth trying. 

The Sandwich Spot on Broadway is one of the many lunch options in Downtown. This sports-themed sandwich shop offers an extensive sandwich menu and on a nice day you can enjoy your sandwich outside on their patio. Next time you stop by the Sandwich Spot take a second to notice the owner’s custom art on the wall.

Redwood City has something for everyone, so stop by and support local businesses!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Health.com shared smart ways to protect your heart by de-stressing your life. Reducing stress by shortening your commute and being active can help protect your heart.  Transit-oriented communities, like Saltworks, provide a living environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle and happy heart.

One of the ways to help de-stress and protect your heart is to exercise more.  According to Health.com, activities like running and walking “help you feel better, lower your risk of diabetes, and make your heart stronger, a trifecta of health benefits.” Physical activity is beneficial because “it pumps your heart, moving blood all around the body.” The American Heart Association recommends “exercising aerobically at least 30 minutes all or most days of the week.”  The Saltworks community is designed to promote active lifestyles by providing trails and bike paths throughout the community. Saltworks residents will be able to incorporate fitness into their daily routines by walking to the grocery store, work, or school.

Evidence shows that stress is bad for you heart. “‘There are studies to show that stress is comparable to other risk factors that we traditionally think of as major, like hypertension, poor diet, and lack of exercise,” says Kathi Heffner, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Rochester Center for Mind-Body Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. Stress can be caused by a variety of things, but most of us can agree that commuting in the Bay Area is a major contributor to our daily stress levels. Since the Saltworks Community is located in a jobs-rich area, residents will have a shorter commute to work which will reduce the stress resulting from long commutes. A shorter commute will help the heart and reduce carbon dioxide emissions! And that is something we can all love!

Visit Health.com for more ways to keep your heart healthy. http://www.health.com/health/package/0,,20464950,00.html

Over the holidays, we were blessed with the opportunity to participate in the Redwood City Police Officers and Firefighters Association’s Toy and Book Drive. This year we were given the chance to be involved in the different stages of the toy and book drive. We collected donations at our office, wrapped donated gifts, and were even allowed to accompany the firefighters when they delivered the toys to families in Redwood City. John Bruno was given the honor to be Santa Clause and spent the evening driving around in a fire truck delivering gifts. And if that opportunity wasn’t enough, our incredible firefighters made the remarkable gesture of inviting us to dinner which we eagerly accepted.

 Redwood City Firefighters hosted our DMB Team for dinner at Station 20. Upon arrival we were greeted by Fire Captain Justin Velasquez, Redwood City firefighters Forrest Dyer and Dewey Duran, as well as Ray Hernandez, a retired Redwood City firefighter.

After we toured the station we enjoyed stuffed peppers wrapped in bacon, which the crew had prepared as an appetizer. They were delicious! We snacked and mingled in the kitchen while Justin put the finishing touches on his masterpiece.

We took our seats at the table and prepared ourselves for what promised to be an outstanding meal. The main course was chicken stuffed with asparagus wrapped in bacon, herbed mashed potatoes, and a farm fresh salad. The food was magnificent! We all agreed that it was better than anything we would have had for dinner that night. The superb company made the meal even more enjoyable.

Needless to say we were pleasantly full at the end of our meal, but we all managed to make room for some of Fire Captain Velasquez’s famous ice cream dessert. The firefighters were called to duty and had to rush off before enjoying their dessert.

We all had an exceptionally good time and would like to thank Redwood City Fire for a memorable night! With all they do for us, thanking us was the last thing the firefighters should have been concerned with.  These brave and noble first responders have our unequivocal gratitude, but any time they want us to come by for dinner, we’re in!!

Thank you for your continued bravery and service. Keep up the great work!

You can see photos from the dinner on our Facebook page.

Stockholm has a reputation of being the best biking city in Sweden, but a new four-lane superhighway for bikes might change that. In Lund, Sweden, a small college town, bicycling is a way of life. “60% of the (Lund) populace bikes or takes public transport to go about their daily tasks, “according to A.K. Streeter. With the availability of public transit and bicycle friendly routes, Lund has made it possible for residents to get around without a car. Being able to accomplish daily tasks without getting in your car seems like a fantasy in California, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The Saltworks Plan will provide a transit-oriented community, which will make it possible to accomplish daily tasks without your car.

Another city in Sweden has put an emphasis on becoming one of the great biking cities in Northern Europe. Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden, has made it possible for people to get around on bikes. This was made possible “mostly by its investment in infrastructure and pure commitment to get people on their bikes.” It proved to be a smart investment since “cycling has increased 30% each year for the last four years, while car trips under five kilometers have dropped.”

Now they have proposed building a new four-lane cycling superhighway to connect Lund and Malmö. The superhighway would run along railroad tracks, cutting the cost of adding right of ways. The superhighway will include bicycle service stations, similar to the bicycle service stations that will be available in the Saltworks Community.

“Building bicycle infrastructure is magnitudes cheaper than building new car roads, and better for our health and our air quality,” said Streeter. The more we promote bicycling and other alternate means of transportation the more we benefit as individuals and a society. Streeter leaves the reader with a question to ponder, “What will the first U.S. cities be to build this type of interurban?” We will have to wait and see. But in the meantime, we hope the bicycle infrastructure planned in the Saltworks Community will spark more transit-oriented developments in the Bay Area.

Follow this link to read more about the superhighway in Sweden. http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/new-cycling-superhighway-not-us.html

Yesterday we announced our intent to turn DMB Associates’ Pacific Division into a new company, DMB Pacific Ventures. DMB Pacific Ventures will be led by Eneas Kane, who served as the President and CEO of DMB Associates. He will now assume the new role as President and CEO of DMB Pacific Ventures. Mark Kehke, who served as the DMB Pacific Division’s Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of COO for the new company. The new DMB Pacific Ventures will be headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You may be wondering what this means for the Redwood City Saltworks project. We are glad to share that the new company will continue to support and promote the Saltworks project. DMB Pacific Ventures will maintain uninterrupted management of existing projects including, Tejon Mountain Village, Martis Camp, Redwood City Saltworks and Kukui`ula.  Ownership interests in all DMB Pacific projects will remain unchanged.

With DMB Pacific Ventures we have the opportunity to grow and create an ever-more dynamic legacy. As always, we appreciate your continued involvement and support for the Redwood City Saltworks. This is an exciting time for all of us.

The Port of Redwood City is getting ready to undergo a $16 million renovation project. The renovation will expand the Port’s capacity and possibly include a ferry terminal. The port already plays a major role in the Bay Area’s industrial and economic development and this renovation will be greatly beneficial to the region. 

We are especially excited about the possibility of a ferry terminal being part of the renovation project. With more than 40,000 workers commuting into Redwood City every day, having access to a high-speed commuter ferry service in Redwood City would greatly improve the commute. The Saltworks Community will provide the needed transit system connecting the potential ferry terminal to downtown Redwood City and other transit options, including CalTrain. The transportation features in the Saltworks Community will make it easy for visitors to get to downtown and residents to get to the ferry terminal without needing a car!

Follow this link for more information about the renovation project http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Port-of-Redwood-City-Prepares-for-Renovation-136540128.html

According to British psychologist Richard Wiseman’s 2007 survey, 88 percent of New Year’s resolutions end in failure. Not the most encouraging statistic to see at the beginning of the New Year. However, some of the most common New Year’s resolutions could be accomplished by simply living in a smart growth community. 

Smart growth communities, like the Saltworks, put housing and transportation near jobs, retail and schools. The Saltworks Community will offer retail, restaurants, and services within walking distance so residents won’t need to rely on their car to get around.

Get fit is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions according to the Washington Post. The Saltworks Community will provide easy daily alternatives that will help residents stay committed to their resolution.  In addition to bicycle trials and walking paths, Saltworks’ residents will be able to incorporate fitness into their daily routine by walking to the grocery store, school, or the transit stop.

Other common New Year’s resolutions such as spending more time with your family and getting organized are easy to accomplish when you have the time. Since the Saltworks Community is located in a jobs-rich area residents will have a shorter commute to work, which will free up some time to accomplish those resolutions. Not to mention this will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions!

It can be a challenge following through with New Year’s resolutions, but living in a community that supports a healthy lifestyle would make it easier.

You can find the Washington Post’s list of most common New Year’s resolutions by clicking here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/new-years-resolutions/2011/12/30/gIQAQfEzQP_gallery.html#photo=15