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Development Updates, Transit Tango, & Your Weekend Line Up
Garage-turned-beer-garden slings craft pints & smash burgers
Greg Kemper
July 10, 2025
Hey neighbors,
Welcome to this week’s San Mateo Scoop! We’re serving up development updates, secret foodie finds, and a local company that just cracked TIME’s 100 most influential list.
We also have a stacked lineup of local events around the area for the weekend. Dive in and let’s make the most of the weekend around the Peninsula together!
In this week’s edition:
🏗️ Re-submitted high-rise development plans
🍔 Hidden beer garden + Michelin bites
💼 Peninsula business hits TIME 100 most influential
📆 Neighborhood music, garage sales, cute pets!
🚉 Burlingame opts for partial compliance for transit policies
Burlingame plans to sign on to only 2 of the 4 requirements in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s new Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) policy. It’s embracing affordable-housing and station-access measures but shelving tougher parking-cut and density mandates so it can still chase One Bay Area Grant 4 funds while keeping tighter local control around its Caltrain stations. Read more here.
🏗️ Revised 21 Story Senior Living Tower Proposal
R&M Properties just revised its downtown Redwood City development plan for a modern senior living community, now with 222 units in a single 21-story tower at 910 Marshall St., scaled back from last year’s 30-story, 313-unit twin-tower pitch. It includes independent, assisted-living and memory-care homes, 1,200 sq ft of retail and 95 parking spots all filed under the state’s density-bonus law.
The developer says the adjustments address feedback received from community meetings while still tackling a senior-housing crunch as the county’s 75-plus population is set to double; environmental review and public hearings are next. Read more here.
Back by Popular Demand: Best of San Mateo
We wanted to continue to showcase some of the businesses you voted for “Best of San Mateo” for some additional popular categories!
We still can’t showcase every honoree, but check out this week’s highlighted categories below—and a huge congrats again to all the winners!
🍜 Best Japanese Restaurant Tokie’s Downtown
🐾 Best Pet Friendly Restaurant Lazy Dog
💼 Best Attorneys Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP
🏘️ Best Senior Living Community Atherton Gardens Senior Living
💇🏻♀️ Best Hair Salon L Salon and Color Group
🐕 Best Dog Grooming Petstar Mobile Grooming – Foster City
🥯 Best Bagel Shop House of Bagels
🥂 Best Bar Fogbird
🥩 Best Butcher Shop Lunardi’s
🍩 Best Doughnuts Cruel Donuts
Find the winners for all categories here!
Click here to feature your business to the community next week!
💊 Gilead Cracks TIME100’s Most Influential Companies
Foster City’s Gilead Sciences just landed on TIME’s 2025 Top 100 Most Influential Companies list for reshaping HIV prevention with lenacapavir, a twice-yearly shot that achieved FDA clearance for prophylaxis, and for inking a 2024 deal allowing a generic supply of the drug to be used in 120 low- and middle-income countries.
The achievements underscore the biotech’s growing global-health reach as it expands beyond COVID antiviral remdesivir into oncology and autoimmune research and development. Read more here.
🍽️ All Spice - Find modern California cuisine at All Spice in San Mateo, recently featured on the Michelin guide! Tucked inside a cozy 1906 Victorian cottage on El Camino Real, All Spice dishes up a sleek California-global fusion menu. A date-night-ready hot spot praised for creative plating, warm service, and intimate charm. It’s been a Peninsula gem for 15 years! Find out more here. |  1602 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA |
TAPP’D Beer Garden + SHMASH’D Burgers
Found between auto and construction shops on Old County Road, a repurposed garage now hosts this laid-back, open-air beer garden and smash-burger counter. The bar keeps a rotating list of local craft pours, featuring Alpha Acid, Hop Dogma and Barebottle.
SHMASH’D burgers makes cult-favorite burgers like the “Hella Jalapeño,” “Bacon Jam” and “Oooie Gooie.” Picnic tables, roll-up doors and the occasional live-entertainment night create a hidden hangout vibe that already feels like a neighborhood favorite. Swing by 786 Old County Rd for pints, fries and one of the Peninsula’s juiciest smash burgers. Find out more here.
Peninsula Humane Society Pets of the Week! We are Walter & Oliver! We are two silly guinea pigs who love munching on some fresh crunchy greens. We are the bestest of friends. We may be the perfect pair for you; adopt us here! | Featured Subscriber Pet of the Week! Our featured subscriber pet of the week is Lili, pictured here looking absolutely adorable at the Bark and Brewfest in San Mateo! |
Want your pet to be featured next week? Respond to this email with your favorite picture of one your pets and we’ll pick one at random each week to include!
🎸 Central Park Music | Central Park | San Mateo | 7/10 | More
’90s & beyond dance hits light up Fitzgerald Field with food trucks, beer/wine garden & kid activities keeping the whole family going.
🎤 Music In the Park Concert Series | Burton Park | San Carlos | 7/11 | More
Grab a blanket and enjoy free live music with food and drink options.
💃 Foster City Summer Concert | Leo Ryan Park Amphitheater | Foster City | 7/11 | More
Dance to 80’s hits with the popular tribute band Careless Whisper.
🎵 Music in the Park | Washington Park | Burlingame | 7/11 | More
Enjoy community vibes and free music in the heart of Burlingame.
💎 International Gem & Jewelry Show | San Mateo County Event Center | San Mateo | 7/11–7/13 | More
Shop thousands of gems, beads & designer pieces at wholesale prices—Fri 12–6 PM, Sat 10–6 PM, Sun 11–5 PM (no kids under 9).
🍋 Lemonade Day Belmont | Belmont City-Wide | 07/12 | More
Support youth entrepreneurs at lemonade stands across town, 10 AM–12:30 PM—sip, stroll & cheer on the next generation of business leaders. Find local stands to visit here!
🚂 Model Train Exhibit | Hiller Aviation Museum | San Carlos | 7/12 - 7/13| more
Enjoy intricate and detailed model train displays — European-themed!
🛍️ City-Wide Garage Sale | Foster City | Foster City | 7/12 | More
Find treasures and bargains at the citywide garage sale in Foster City.
🎸 Belmont Concert Series | Twin Pines Park | Belmont | 7/13 | More
A dynamic concert featuring high-energy R&B and soul classics.
🧘 CorePower Yoga & Brunch | Pinstripes | San Mateo | 07/13 | More
Kick off Sunday with Yoga, enjoy a free mimosa, then score 20% off brunch on the patio.
🐾 Paws for Tales | San Mateo Main Library | San Mateo | 7/14 more
Kids practice reading aloud to friendly therapy dogs.
🎩 Magician Kenny Spade | Hillsdale Library | San Mateo | 7/15 more
Two interactive magic shows, perfect for kids and families.
🎨 Paint-A-Plane | Hiller Aviation Museum | San Carlos | 7/16 more
Kids can paint a real aircraft! Includes crafts and STEM stations.
📖 Pajama Story Time | San Mateo Main Library | San Mateo | 7/16 more
Evening story time — wear your PJs and bring a stuffed animal!
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