MINNEAPOLIS — After a nearly decade-long debate over the fate of the Roof Depot site in south Minneapolis, the city council has approved terms to sell the property to a local community group.
On Thursday, the city council announced it's giving the green light for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute to purchase the building, which the nonprofit plans to transform into an indoor urban farm and community hub.
Earlier this summer, the city agreed to drop its plan of demolishing the building to expand its public works facility and sell the site for $11.4 million if EPNI could raise the necessary funds.
According to a press release Thursday, the deal made between city officials, the Minneapolis legislative delegation and EPNI in May included three funding sources for the exclusive purchase of the property by EPNI:
- The legislature appropriated $2 million to apply toward the purchase price of the site, to be paid to the City by July 15, 2023. The City has not received this funding yet.
- EPNI was required to raise an additional $3.7 million in private funds by Sept. 8, 2023.
- Contingent on the $3.7 million successfully raised by EPNI by Sept. 8, 2023, the Minneapolis legislative delegation pledged to secure an additional $5.7 million for the sale during the 2024 session.
The purchase agreement gives ENPI a 60-day "due diligence period" to raise the remaining funds, though the ENPI agreed to give the city an update on the status of its fundraising by the originally agreed-upon deadline of Sept. 8.
If the deadlines are met and the sale closes, the city said it's "committed to finding a new water supply maintenance facility and will explore other locations for this project."
Also part of the May agreement, the state of Minnesota will provide a $4.5 million grant to the City of Minneapolis to relocate the proposed public works facility.
In June, EPNI unveiled renderings for the indoor urban farm and community hub, including aquaponics and solar panels, job training sites, services for the unhoused, green jobs, cafes, and cultural markets, and other community gathering spaces. DJR Architecture & Design associate Ahti Westphal said it will be one of the largest solar arrays in an urban space in the Upper Midwest.
Construction is expected to cost $10-$15 million and will come from a mix of grants, investors, and loans. The ownership structure will consist of three groups: East Phillips residents, building business tenants, and outside investors.
If all goes according to plan, EPNI board President Dean Dovolis said they plan on closing and starting construction by the summer of 2024.
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