WASHINGTON — Call it just another construction project or the changing face of a neighborhood, work is underway to construct Ward 7’s new Skyland Town Center.
The project will bring new amenities, apartment, dinning and most importantly a new grocery store to a neighborhood that’s needed more grocery options for years.
“I guess its good for the community but its probably bad for Safeway,” says Shaday Wilson on her way to the bus stop in front of the Skyland Town Center that’s under construction.
We’ve documented the need for more grocery stores east of the river. Last year, we introduced you to Ms. Lucille Tibbs, 82, from Ward 7.
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We shared the struggles she encounters along her 2-hour round-trip commute to buy groceries. Her story is representative of a major food access issue in Southeast, D.C.
“I would be nice if we could get another grocery store around here,” Tibbs said when we spoke with her last year.
Between Wards 7 and Wards 8, there are only 3 grocery stores for more than 140,000 residents. The two wards are primarily African American with a lower median income.
Since our reporting, ground has broken on a new Good Food Markets scheduled to open this fall in Ward 8. Work is underway to construct the new Lidl Grocery in Ward 7.
But don’t be fooled, the addition in the city’s east end pale in comparison to the availability of grocery stores in Ward 3 which has 9 grocery stores for 80,000 residents.
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“I already knew change was going to come with this area. It’s not surprising,” explained Wilson.
Some, like Stanley Simmons, feel the new grocery store is a sign of things to come; more diversity, higher rents, and rising food costs. Some feel as the city become more gentrified, long-term residents won’t be able to take advantage of the new amenities in their neighborhood.
"(The new store is) going to bring the property value up. There are going to be lower income people that will have to move out of the area,” Stanley Simmons believes as he works on his car parked near the construction site.
In a statement, Mayor Muriel Bowser said the new partnership brings “high-quality resources and amenities to every part of our city — amenities that will set our families and neighborhoods up for long-term success.”
Although we don’t know what economic impact the new grocery store will have on lower income residents, we do know it will bring healthier food a little closer to their homes.