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Seabrook council ratifies $41,400 EDC incentive for Soul Freak after heated public comment
Summary
After more than an hour of public comments from Seabrook residents and business owners, the City Council ratified a Seabrook Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) incentive of up to $41,400 for a proposed Soul Freak café at 1305 Main Street. Councilmember Cervantes voted no; the motion carried.
Seabrook City Council on June 17 ratified a Seabrook Economic Development Corporation incentive agreement of up to $41,400 for Solfry Holdings LLC (doing business as Soul Freak) to open at 1305 Main Street, despite sustained public opposition from Old Seabrook business owners and residents.
The vote followed a lengthy public-comment period in which multiple small-business owners and residents urged the council either to reject or to reconsider the EDC recommendation. Jennifer Pitts, owner of Genuine Treasures, told the council the incentive would “not just affect my livelihood and the livelihood of my neighbors, but the health and diversity of our local economy.”
Why it matters: the council endorsed EDC’s recommendation even after repeated testimony that the Old Seabrook commercial area is already crowded with similar food-and-beverage businesses. Opponents said public dollars should not be used to subsidize a new business that directly competes with long-established local operators. Supporters said the…
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