East Phillips group given more time to raise millions to buy Roof Depot site
VIA SAHAN JOURNAL — by Andrew Hazzard August 22, 2023
The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute is confident it can raise the $3.7 million needed by November to buy the site from the city.
The group trying to convert the Roof Depot site in south Minneapolis into a community hub will have two more months to raise money to purchase the vacant warehouse and land from the city.
The nonprofit East Phillips Neighborhood Institute won a historic battle with the city of Minneapolis in May to turn the site into an indoor urban farm with space for housing and local businesses. The Minnesota Legislature approved millions in funding for the institute’s proposed project in an attempt to convince city leaders to move on from their long-held plans to convert the former Sears warehouse into a public works facility.
Part of the Legislature’s allocation required the institute to raise $3.7 million by September 7 toward the purchase of the site. That deadline is now extended until November 8 under a purchase agreement approved Tuesday by the Minneapolis City Council’s Business, Inspections, and Housing Committee.