EPNI Statement on our canceled meeting with the Mayor
Over this weekend, the Mayor’s office canceled a meeting with EPNI scheduled for Monday, August 25th, to discuss an amendment to the purchase agreement for the Roof Depot site, which EPNI proposed on June 27th.
“It’s deeply disappointing given we are a mere three weeks away from the original closing date in the purchase agreement,” said Karen Clark, former State Legislator and EPNI board member, “After waiting two long months for a response, we were looking forward to finally hearing the Mayor’s intentions around the future of the Roof Depot site.”
Two years ago, EPNI agreed to a purchase price of $15.9 million for the Roof Depot site, four times higher than the site’s appraised value of $3.7 million. At the time, the State Legislature committed to subsidizing $12.2 million of that price and EPNI was asked to secure $3.7 million, which EPNI succeeding in securing.
The state agreed to subsidize that purchase, and pay back money that the city sunk into its plan for the Roof Depot site – a plan which had record-breaking public backlash – because our legislators saw clearly how the neighborhood’s vision for the site will bring tax revenue, a strengthened local food system, overdue healing, and countless other benefits to ripple through and beyond East Phillips.
In 2023, legislators did successfully allocate $6.5 million but due to federal funding cuts in 2025, failed to deliver the remaining $5.7 million pledged for this year.
“Since 2023, EPNI has raised more than $2 million in funding to blueprint a community-owned rooftop solar array with Cooperative Energy Futures, start the environmental remediation process, and construct an outdoor farm with youth educational programming on the site’s parking lot,” said Daniel Colten-Schmidt, EPNI’s Finance and Fundraising Director, “Even while navigating massive obstacles and funding losses, we pulled together $10.2 million for the Roof Depot purchase and continue to make progress toward the community’s vision for the this site every day.”
When the Mayor canceled our meeting, he cited discomfort with a protest planned by the Climate Justice Committee for August 28th outside of his residence, related to the purchase negotiations. EPNI did not organize nor endorse that event, which has since changed in scope, and been moved to a new location.
EPNI made our offer on June 27th, right after losing that pledged legislative funding because we, and the mayor, know well that a purchase this big and complex takes months to finalize.
The Mayor holds the power to negotiate a fair deal and just future for East Phillips, but every day that passes deepens a decades-long legacy of municipal neglect in this neighborhood.
EPNI remains as committed as ever to continuing to build this community-owned urban farm and resiliency hub, to bring fresh food, good jobs and overdue healing to this site. We will continue following our neighbors’ plans for this land that will also advance countless commitments stated by the city in recent years around environmental justice, community-based economic development, emission reductions and more.
We look forward to speaking with the Mayor soon.