NE Community Garden & Main Street Market Cooperative

The Background:

The City of Minneapolis owns a large, sunny lot across from the Grainbelt Brewery along 13th Street, between Main and Marshall Street (next to Northeast Bank). The property and adjacent historic building is currently for sale. The City is soliciting proposals starting May 2, with a deadline of August 1 and appears to be contemplating a housing development for the site.


The Idea:

A cooperative could form to purchase the land and the building for an organic community garden, food processing site, and market. The garden would include accessible spots for seniors and the disabled and perhaps eventually host wind and/or solar energy production. The building could be converted to a year-round food processing and indoor market to sell foods processed from garden produce.

 

Needed to start this Co-op:

  • A committed group of founding members who can work together to assemble a proposal to the City by the August 1 deadline

  • A comprehensive plan for developing and financing the project

  • Advocacy to the City to preserve this land for non-housing use

 

Benefits the Community:

  • Preserves green space and avoids creation of additional development in an already saturated market

  • Creates green jobs in the neighborhood

  • Promotes sustainable, local food production

  • Provides gardening access to seniors and the disabled