SAN MATEO — Plans to spiff up one of San Mateo's historic buildings to the image of its youth will be displayed tonight in City Hall.

The broker company and renovators of 333 S. B St. will be showing a new design that will mimic the art deco façade of the Baywood Theatre, the building's original identity after its 1930s construction. The downtown structure has since become known as the "Rite Aid building" after one of its last ground-floor tenants, a drug store that moved out more than a year ago.

There was a ballet school in the upstairs portion and there was a Rite Aid downstairs," said City Planner Shaunn Medrin. "The people who owned it wanted to remodel it so they could attract a tenant to the building."

The Planning Commission had requested that the design more closely match the old art-deco styling at a previous meeting in January.

"We basically copied that look," said Todd Oliver of BT Commercial, the tenant-broker company that is representing Hillsborough-based owner Burke Junction LLC.

Oliver added that the owner is eager to commence renovations as soon as he can get commission approval and a building permit. Eventually, the owner wants retail in the 11,000-square-foot ground floor and office uses upstairs, he said.

"It's most likely a bulk retailer. A furniture retailer would probably be best, because it's big," Oliver said.

The Planning Commission meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at San Mateo City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave.

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