The purchase would be a turning point in the nearly decade-long debate over the Roof Depot. It’s a win for local activists, who want to turn the site into an urban farm, community center, and housing for unhoused people.
Supporters of an urban farm in the East Phillips neighborhood still have a long way to go, but the appropriation of $6.5 million could break an ugly, years-long impasse with city officials.
The City of Minneapolis has dropped charges against three protesters who were arrested during a brief occupation of the city’s controversial Roof Depot site in the Little Earth neighborhood in February.