A nonprofit coffee concept has opened at Vulcan Real Estate’s 23rd & Jackson development in Seattle’s Central District, activating a prominent corner of the mixed-use community. The new Coffee TAB location brings a community-focused operator into a space that had been vacant since a former Starbucks closed there in 2022.
Coffee TAB functions as both a coffee shop and a workforce development platform, operating a barista training program and hiring apprentices into its stores. The organization is expanding its presence in the city with this Central District location, complementing two existing shops in Pioneer Square and Belltown. Its arrival at 23rd & Jackson adds another daily-needs use to the development and introduces a mission-driven tenant to the retail lineup.
The Coffee TAB store sits within the Jackson Apartments component of the 23rd & Jackson project, which consists of two sustainable, mixed-income apartment buildings separated by a wide-open green space. The community design incorporates a 12,000-square-foot plaza intended to serve residents, visitors, and neighborhood users, creating a central gathering area that connects the residential and retail elements of the site.
The broader 3.6-acre property offers a mix of shops and services, along with abundant seating, landscaped green space, and common areas that support both programmed and informal use. The seven-story development includes 532 apartment homes over ground-floor and surrounding retail, providing a significant amount of housing integrated with neighborhood-serving commercial space.
Retail is a meaningful component of the project, with approximately 46,000 square feet dedicated to stores and services. The addition of Coffee TAB contributes to the mix of tenants that can draw both building residents and customers from the surrounding Central District. The cafe’s training and apprenticeship model also aligns with the area’s long-standing community-oriented identity.
On the capital markets side, the apartments at the 23rd & Jackson development traded earlier in the year. A joint venture between Timberlane Partners and PCCP acquired the Jackson Apartments in Seattle’s Central District in January for $173 million. The sale transferred ownership of the residential portion of the project while maintaining the integrated structure of apartments over neighborhood retail. The new Coffee TAB opening follows that transaction and reflects ongoing activation of the property’s retail component under the current ownership structure.
