According to a resident at Bellevue Towers, condo owners have been informed by management that Walgreens Corporation has decided not to go forward with leasing commercial space at the mixed-use towers. It was in the process of being remodeled to meet the needs of the pharmacy store chain.
RSP Architects submitted a building application to the City of Bellevue for Walgreens in March 2022. The square footage of the retail space is 6,494. It was previously occupied by Purple Cafe and Wine Bar and has been empty since March 2020.
The two planned restaurants will still be moving forward with their original plans, according to the Bellevue Tower’s resident. They are currently undergoing construction and are slated to open in 2024.
SEA Crab House will be opening at what was previously Lot No. 3. The Pacific Northwest seafood restaurant features a unique blend of Cajun-style seafood boils with Southeast Asian flavors.
Rascals Public House will be opening at the base of the South Bellevue Tower. The American-style pub will be 4,400 square feet. It is planned to open in what was previously Cast Iron Studios.
Heavy Restaurant Group, owners of Lot No. 3, Cast Iron Studios, and Purple Bellevue, announced in March 2020 that they would be permanently closing all three restaurants. According to CEO, Larry Kurofsky, the public health crisis surrounding COVID-19 forced them to reconsider the mid-long term viability of the Bellevue restaurants.
In total, the three eateries occupied 14,500 square feet of space and were intended to meet the demand for corporate events and group dining. Kurofsky went on to explain, “This type of business will likely not come back for some time and the current layout and cost structure of the locations makes it too challenging for us to convert them to alternative viable concepts.”
According to Bellevue Tower’s management, there are no other companies leasing the space at this time.
