The Roof Depot Project: A Case Study of Urban Grassroots' Success in Reclaiming Environmentally-Damaged Land for Community-Ownership, Green Development, and Land Back

The Roof Depot Project: A Case Study of Urban Grassroots' Success in Reclaiming Environmentally-Damaged Land for Community-Ownership, Green Development, and Land Back.

The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI), a nonprofit organization, provides community organizing and community development services in South Minneapolis, close by the area where George Floyd, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti were killed. This working-class neighborhood has been home to countless BIPOC and immigrant/refugee residents. Historically, it suffered environmental contamination from neglect and intentional siting of unsafe corporate activities on its lands. The Roof Depot is a collective project bringing together three entities (the Collective), including EPNI, to redevelop an industrial site that still contains arsenic at 20-30 feet below the ground, from a former pesticide company, and still suffers from air quality issues. After years of advocacy and adversity with the City of Minneapolis, the Roof Depot site’s ownership was officially purchased and signed over to the Collective. This Webinar will share the experiences and lessons learned from this grassroots effort to acquire the site through legislative and legal strategies, and its future plans for community-ownership, community-investment, food sovereignty, and green redevelopment with green energy, including some land back plan, in one of the nation’s most concentrated and most diverse Urban Native American communities. This 90-minute program will include Q&As and discussions.

A longtime supporter of East Phillips, Dean founded DJR Architecture in 1985 in the East Phillips Neighborhood with an emphasis on affordable housing and community development. Dean continues to evolve the firm into a broad based provider of architectural services while still playing an active role in the development of the Phillips neighborhood.

This includes the Phillips Community Aquatic Center, East Phillips Community Center, the Bii Di Gain Dash Anwebi Elder housing, and many others. At EPNI, Dean is the architect and planner for the future East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm. He coordinates with public officials, community groups, residents, and investors to develop the site per East Phillips community needs. As an activist, Dean is passionate about saving the Roof Depot building and prioritizing communities of color in the development of the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm.

Dean received his Bachelor of Architecture and Environmental Design from the University of Minnesota and his Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University. He is part of the the American Institute of Architecture, LEED Accredited Professional, and NCARB. 

MCLE will be provided for California. CPG thanks the Sustainable Economies Law Center for being the MCLE sponsor.