Before Redwood City's On Broadway entertainment complex swung open its doors, the city was not exactly the place to see and be seen.

"At 5:30 p.m., you could shoot a cannon, six maybe, downtown and you wouldn't hit anything," said City Manager Ed Everett. "On Broadway has kick-started Redwood City and turned it around."

The $88 million On Broadway, which opened in June, features a 20-screen Century Theatres complex atop 80,000 square feet of shops, such as Cost Plus and Shoe Pavilion, and restaurants, such as Chipotle and Fatburger.

It's helped revive a long-struggling downtown packed with small merchants and restaurants that had relied on the daytime working crowd. The project has not only helped new and existing small businesses flourish, but given the community a new gathering spot - one that will help the city's bottom line by boosting its sales tax revenue.

The Redwood City Redevelopment Agency spearheaded the project, aggressively assembling 11 parcels for the development. The agency selected in 1998 the team of Danville developer Brad Blake and Sausalito-based Innisfree Cos.

The design team weathered challenges from residents concerned about the magnitude of the project. To counter concerns that the project was too large compared with surrounding buildings, the architects designed the structure to appear as if it is four separate buildings, said Yann Taylor, a principal at San Francisco architectural firm Field Paoli.

On Broadway was delayed for a year after city leadership decided to create a 580-space underground parking garage rather than build a parking structure on an adjacent lot, as was originally planned. Building an underground garage involved rerouting a creek and waterproofing the basement.

"The negative was that it delayed the project for a year to redesign it," Blake said. "The positive is for the long-term it was the right decision. It frees up (adjacent land) for redevelopment with higher density."

Since On Broadway opened in June, residents have flocked to the movies and to dine at restaurants such as Tacone and Cafe Portabella.

"It's helped create a new sense of place in downtown where people now know they can find something to do without having to plan far ahead," Blake said.

On Broadway works well with the nearby Fox and Little Fox theaters, which were renovated and reopened in 2003. The city's recent Courthouse Square plaza renovation, along with new downtown landscaping, has also boosted On Broadway.

Several condo projects are also in the works.

"As the downtown evolves and the city's residential plan takes hold, it will really become an all-day long vibrant downtown and a place energizing to go to," Blake said.

On Broadway is quickly making downtown a popular family destination, Taylor said.