Black Cultural Zone

“This lot is an example of what happened to our community. A once useful and vibrant space became overgrown with weeds and was a dumping ground. Now, as Liberation Park, this is a space where local residents are standing up and taking ownership of the assets in their community,” Carolyn Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation (BCZ).

The BCZ transformed the corner lot into a place where people go and feel joy, have fun, and connect with their community. Throughout 2020 and 2021, BCZ hosted food distributions, movie nights, the AKOMA Outdoor Market that includes a certified farmers’ market, and in July 2021, opened California’s only outdoor wood floor roller skate rink. A year after receiving a license to occupy and activate the lot, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved BCZ for site control of the 1.2 acres; a major achievement towards the intentions set for cooperative ownership and management of a mixed-use HUB space for retail and affordable housing.

Community Vision provided real estate advisory services and technical assistance for the commercial aspects of the development project that BCZ is planning for Liberation Park. As a partner in capital and real estate solutions, our work on this project goes back more than ten years