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AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■ Arlene Jones has problems with the Secretary of State, PAGE 7
Vol. 32 No. 17
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April 25, 2018
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
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Harriet H i tT Taubman b way? page 4
Developers reveal plans for North Ave. Sears site Retail, apartments planned for site, construction work could start in 2019 By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
During 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s regular community meeting, held April 18 at Rutherford Sayre Park, 6871 W. Belden Ave., residents got their first look at some possible plans that developers are considering for the site of the shuttered Sears, located at the intersection of North and Harlem Avenues. Representatives with Seritage Growth Properties, the site’s owner, and Tucker Development, unveiled preliminary plans for the site that calls for transforming the existing building into mixed-use development, with retail on the first floor and loft-style apartments and town halls above it. The site would also feature a parking lot with more greenery. Although preliminary, the developers’ presentation was meant to outline for residents possible development plans for the site and to solicit public input. Seritage is a spin-off of Sears’ real estate holdings arm. The firm owns 250 of its former parent company’s stores in the Chicago area and elsewhere, said Jeff Martin, Seritage’s vice president of development. When a store closes, Martin said, Seritage tries to figure out a way to redevelop the site. Seritage selected to partner with Tucker Development, a firm based in Highland Park that develops commercial and mixed-use properties in Illinois and New Jersey, according to Tucker’s website. Company CEO Richard Tucker and his son, Aaron Tucker, the company’s chief investment officer, See SEARS on page 4
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Out with the old...
Catalyst officials and other community leaders during an April 19 groundbreaking ceremony for the new performing arts center at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School in Austin. Story and photos on pages 8-9.
More than coffee brews at Austin native’s café Is Reesheda Graham-Washington’s L!VE Café an antidote to Starbucks?
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
After a year in business, Austin native Reesheda Graham-Washington’s L!VE Cafe, located in nearby Oak Park, is not only profitable — it’s also inspiring someone 2,000 miles away to start her own coffee shop based on Graham-Washington’s blueprint.
“When I first moved here, I didn’t know anybody,” said Cote Soerens, 38. An immigrant from Chile who now lives in Seattle, Soerens said that the local independent coffee shop where she lived at the time was her saving grace. The space allowed her to meet new people, find new opportunities and forge enduring relationships. The experience converted her into a
believer in the importance of vital community spaces. But it wasn’t until she became friends with Graham-Washington roughly three years ago that Soerens discovered a vision after which to model her own coffee shop. LIVE has quickly become the 21st-cen-
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See L!VE CAFÉ on page 6