YOUR VOICE MAKES A DIFFERENCE:

ACT NOW FOR EAST PHILLIPS

Project Overview: The East Phillips Urban Farm Project is a community-led, land back initiative to transfer the 7-acre Roof Depot site from the City of Minneapolis to the East Phillips neighborhood and Little Earth for a community-owned, mixed-use development project.
East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) has already raised millions of dollars for this project which will bring needed resources and climate-resilient infrastructure to Minneapolis, including:
a vast solar array, a commercial kitchen, year-round fresh food access, well paying jobs and job training sites, cultural education and gathering spaces, affordable rent for local businesses and community organizations, and more.

FUNDING LOSS (more detail here)

• June 10th- Minnesota Senate and House wrapped their 2025 special session by cutting local funding, including $5.7 million needed complete EPNI’s purchase agreement with the City of Minneapolis for the Roof Depot site
• June 27th- EPNI met with city staff to discuss this loss and the July 1st contingency deadline in our current purchase agreement which states, without this $5.7 million, the City has the option to terminate EPNI’s deal ahead of the set September 15th closing date.

On June 27th, the city office of CPED assured EPNI that the city will not terminate EPNI’s purchase agreement on July 1st, but will continue to negotiate with EPNI in the coming weeks to find a solution.

We need as many people as possible to keep the pressure on the city to sell the Roof Depot to EPNI for a fair price

Please call and email to share:

• Why you believe this project will benefit the city,
• How this project delivers overdue justice to East Phillips and Little Earth,
• Why you want them to work with EPNI to find a fair solution, not put up more obstacles

Find more information for your message here, here, and here. Thank you!

Personalized messages are better, but here is a sample script:

“The people of East Phillips and Little Earth deserve a clear path to purchase the Roof Depot building at a fair price, one that reflects the neighborhood’s history and efforts over the past decade. EPNI has the public support, partners and funding needed to begin building as soon as the City transfers ownership.

It’s time for East Phillips to transform this site into something that meets neighbors’ basic needs, brings more climate-resilient infrastructure to this city, and delivers healing to land that has been polluted for decades.

I want to see follow-through on commitments to Minneapolis’ Green Zones, that still carry the burden of unjust city planning from past administrations. Please support EPNI, Little Earth and East Phillips in purchasing this property, without any more unnecessary obstacles.

It’s the right thing to do. Especially in this moment of environmental crisis and federal chaos, we should all do everything we can to support East Phillips contributing to a more vibrant and resilient Minneapolis.”

CONTACT INFO ON PAGE 2

jacob.frey@minneapolismn.gov,  elliott.payne@minneapolismn.gov, Ward2@minneapolismn.gov, Ward3@minneapolismn.gov, latrisha.vetaw@minneapolismn.gov, ward5@minneapolismn.gov, jamal.osman@minneapolismn.gov, ward7@minneapolismn.gov, andrea.jenkins@minneapolismn.gov, jason.chavez@minneapolismn.gov, ward10@minneapolismn.gov, ward11@minneapolismn.gov, aurin.chowdhury@minneapolismn.gov, linea.palmisano@minneapolismn.gov