BY CAROL PASS
The future of the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm project will now be determined at the Wednesday, Nov. 14 Ways & Means Committee meeting at 1:30 P.M. 3rd floor of City Hall after the possibility of a negotiated settlement regarding the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm was removed from the October 30th Ways & Means meeting.
We need your presence on the 14th of Nov. to show citywide support for a sustainable East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm Project.
This delay will provide the City and Public Works time to understand EPNI”'s 2-acre proposal with shared space. The fact is: this is the smallest possible sustainable size for this project. We have worked the math and done the research ”“ anything smaller and we no longer have a project. We need to make this clear. Shrinking this project further will absolutely require us to give up the entire project, something we are not prepared to do.
Come stand with us for the promise of a positive economic future for East Phillips. The choice is now!
The community is not allowed to speak at the meeting, so please be there with signs to express your opinion. We will need a massive show of support to convince the council members of the critical importance to the City and the neighborhood of this project.
History: 2014 & ”˜15; community negotiated with Roof Depot to purchase the entire 7.5-acre site to create an Indoor Urban Farm for Aqua-culture jobs, organic food, affordable family housing, and prevent more industrial pollution. Plans were thwarted by City threatening Eminent Domain and purchase of the site. Since this community has been trying to negotiate with the city to share 3 acres, only 18% of the total land the City owns.
Negotiations never happened! In a final effort to accommodate both the Water Works and the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm, the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, EPNI, along with the community, proposed a minimalized, but still workable 2-Acre solution with shared space at the site. It is hard to understand the City”'s unwillingness to talk and their opposition to a positive future for the people of East Phillips!
Right to be involved:
Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process. Adopted by Minneapolis City Council, December 2007
Please join us at City Hall, 3rd floor, with your signs Wednesday, Nov. 14th at 1:00 P.M. (to be sure you get a seat).
