In 2014, while the East Phillips Improvement Coalition (EPIC) was launching another effort to relocate two major polluters of their neighborhood, Bituminous Roadways and Smith Foundry, they discovered that the owners of the Roof Depot across the street, were going to sell their 7.6-acre site including the iconic 230,000 sq. ft. former Sears Warehouse. EPIC and the community realized that they and especially their children could not tolerate another polluting entity moving into the neighborhood. In an effort to prevent that and create something positive for the community, they came together and created the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm project.