Seward Co-op to break ground on new building — Tuesday, Dec. 4

Public ceremony marks beginning of move to old Riverside Market site

Following recent city approval and closing on an agreement to sell its existing location, Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli will celebrate the groundbreaking of its new digs at 2823 E. Franklin Ave., the site of the old Riverside Market.

Mayor R.T. Rybak and Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon will join members of the co-op and the community at 1 p.m. to view architectural plans and conceptual drawings. The Seward Deli will provide hot coffee and fresh cookies.

The rebuilt 25,560-square-foot market — twice the size of the current co-op — will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified (LEED), with on-site rain gardens and other green space, 13,000 square feet of retail space and a second floor with offices and educational classrooms, according to a press release. Elements of the old building will remain, with the building’s original tile floor, original arched steel roof beams and an exterior brick facade and wall incorporated into the new design.

In late October, the co-op signed a purchase agreement for the existing location at 2111 E. Franklin Ave. with Shega Foods, which is expected to open a restaurant there.