Equitable Development in the Recovery of East Lake Street

Seward Redesign, is one of the few remaining Community Development Corporations, whose service area includes East Franklin, East Lake Street, and Minnehaha Avenue. For the past 50 years we have provided commercial real estate development, affordable housing, and economic development to our service area, which includes largely BIPOC and women owned businesses. We are currently working with local organizations, with a long standing history along the Lake Street corridor, to successfully heal and rebuild East Lake Street better than it was before. Healing means new equitable development with economic justice models that center BIPOC ownership and community wealth.

Taylor Smrikárova, Property Development Director joined the Redesign team in 2020. Her work is focused on the intersection of real estate development, architecture, urban-focused design and community orientation. She believes that the development process itself adds beauty in creating occupiable art. Taylor has worked in mixed-use development in both commercial real estate and architecture, renovations, residential architecture, commercial mortgages, and assisted homeowners after the 2008 crisis. Her passion is real estate development that not only satieties investors, but truly uplifts end users from all walks of life. She values the full urban experience and gets excited about large and difficult mixed-use developments that feature mixed income housing. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Northeastern University and a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland.