Well, that didn't take long. We just saw the first wave of plans for the paradigm-shifting Sears building makeover in Boyle Heights, and now the neighborhood is hitting a new gentrification high: it's getting a Starbucks. The former Burger King structure just across the street from the Sears complex will soon be transformed into Boyle Heights's first free-standing Starbucks, reports Eastsider LA. (Starbucks has space in a food court that serves the USC Health Sciences, but doesn't have an independent shop.) The permits for the cafe suggest this new branch of the corporate coffee vendor will include a drive-through.
It didn't take long for this corner to blow up, did it? The Sears Building (seen in the background above), is slated for a large-scale renovation that will include as many as 1,000 new apartments (at present, none of them designated affordable housing), as well as new retail and office space. Let's hope there isn't a Starbucks in there, too.
· Storefront Report: Starbucks brewing up its first free-standing Boyle Heights store [ELA]
· First Look at Makeover Plans For Boyle Heights Sears Building [Curbed LA]
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