________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The retail village is a year-round shopping , arts and culture , and wellness community resource and destination in Southeast Washington , D . C . that provides the local community with centralized access to muchneeded services and amenities , such as fresh food offerings , fitness and wellness programming , sit-down restaurants as well as business and economic opportunities – all led by local experts and entrepreneurs .
Community engagement
Sycamore & Oak utilized a groundbreaking combination of community engagement efforts , sustainable construction efforts and a modular design to deliver much-needed services to this overlooked corner of the city that consistently has poorer health outcomes and more food deserts than its neighboring D . C . communities .
Located on the campus of the historic former St Elizabeth ’ s psychiatric hospital , now home to new residential properties , direct services organizations , and the WNBA Washington Mystics , Sycamore & Oak is the result of a diverse , mission-aligned , publicprivate coalition , conceptualized in partnership with the Congress Heights community .
The key partners involved in the construction of this groundbreaking building were Banneker Ventures , a respected , local , Black-owned construction and real estate development firm , and Emerson Collective , an organization designed to develop opportunities and solutions in education , environment , immigration , and health equity through philanthropy , creativity , and investments . The involvement of Banneker as the general contractor is a reflection of how the project prioritized local and minorityowned businesses to lead every effort of this development from start to finish .
In addition to Banneker and Emerson , the coalition behind this development includes :
20