Rootwell Community Trust

Growing neighborhoods, one lot at a time
Rootwell Community Trust
482 Arbor Lane, Suite 2B
Millbrook, OR 97218
(503) 555-0174 · [email protected]
Ref. RCT-2025-038 October 14, 2025
The Honorable Marcus Halloway, Mayor
Members of the Millbrook City Council
City Hall, 1200 Civic Plaza
Millbrook, OR 97218

Proposal: Vine Street Community Garden on Parcel 14-B

Dear Mayor Halloway and Esteemed Council Members,

On behalf of Rootwell Community Trust and the residents of the Eastside and Vine Street neighborhoods, I write to formally request the Council's approval to transform the vacant municipal lot at 1847 Vine Street (Parcel 14-B) into the Vine Street Community Garden — a permanent, publicly accessible green space stewarded by our organization in partnership with the surrounding community.

The 0.62-acre parcel has sat vacant for eleven years following the demolition of the former Vine Street Substation. In that time it has become a repeated site of illegal dumping, reported in 47 municipal complaints since 2021. Our proposal offers a self-funded, community-led alternative: raised bed plots for 84 households, a children's learning orchard, a pollinator meadow, and a shaded gathering pavilion — all maintained at no ongoing cost to the City.

Projected Environmental Impact — Year One
12.4t
CO₂ equivalent sequestered annually through new canopy and soil restoration
0.62ac
Impervious surface converted to permeable, stormwater-absorbing landscape
31
Native tree and shrub species supporting regional pollinator corridors
18,000gal
Estimated annual stormwater captured through rain garden infrastructure

The project has been designed in consultation with the Millbrook Watershed Council, Oregon State Extension, and landscape architect Priya Venkatesh of Thornfield Studio. All plans meet or exceed the City's 2023 Green Infrastructure Guidelines, and a full environmental site assessment conducted by Cascade Soil Labs in August confirmed the parcel is suitable for food cultivation following standard remediation of the northwest corner.

500
Verified resident signatures Collected door-to-door and at three public meetings between June and September 2025, representing households within a six-block radius of the proposed site. Full signature rolls are enclosed as Exhibit C.

We respectfully request that the Council:

  1. Approve a 20-year renewable ground lease of Parcel 14-B to Rootwell Community Trust at the nominal rate of $1 per year, consistent with Ordinance 94-11.
  2. Authorize Rootwell to proceed with site preparation, including the soil remediation plan reviewed by the Department of Public Works on September 22, 2025.
  3. Schedule a public hearing at the Council's earliest convenience — ideally during the November 18 regular session — to receive community testimony.

We are prepared to present our full design package, funding commitments from the Thornton Foundation and Pacific Green Trust, and community programming plan to the Council or any relevant committee. I would welcome the opportunity to walk the site with any member at your convenience.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this proposal and for your continued stewardship of Millbrook's shared spaces. We believe this garden can serve as a model of what our neighborhoods are capable of when given the ground to grow on.

Respectfully,
Eleanor Okonkwo-Ríos
Eleanor Okonkwo-Ríos, MPA
Executive Director, Rootwell Community Trust
Enclosures
Exhibit A — Site Plan and Landscape Renderings (12 pages) · Exhibit B — Environmental Site Assessment, Cascade Soil Labs · Exhibit C — Petition Signatures with Address Verification (500 signatories) · Exhibit D — Three-Year Operating Budget and Funding Letters · Exhibit E — Letters of Support from Partner Organizations