Since the 501(c)3 status of Lemon Ridge Gardens was still pending when they applied to the Collaborative, the Neighborhood Gardens Association partnered with them in support of the application. Although the site had been cleared of most of the debris and pavement, it was far from ready to support the kind of garden that Lemon Ridge envisioned: one that could be a model of sustainable urban gardening and an educational resource. In addition, the site contained two additional land parcels owned by others.

Since the land had former industrial use, the Collaborative's volunteers recommended that no edible plants be grown at the site and that a Phase II environmental assessment be prepared and required remediation occur. The Collaborative's team of volunteer design professionals, composed of Lager Raabe Skafte Landscape Architects and F.X. Brown, Inc., created five conceptual design options based on information and input gathered at two site visits with community representatives and two community task force meetings. The final layout positions a community green to the north end of the site, bordered to the west by a shrub/perennial garden. Further to the north and to the east, a patchwork of raised beds for community gardens would occupy the sunny side of the site, where they are highly visible from Ridge Avenue. In the interests of sustainability, the team also provided guidance on stormwater collection to irrigate the property and recommended street tree placement to shade more delicate plants.

In 2007, Lemon Ridge Garden Inc. received an Environmental Protection Agency grant to do soil testing on the vacant lot. Once the soil testing is complete and the necessary remediation has occurred, planting can begin. In the spring of that same year, the Lemon Ridge TreeTenders planted street trees around the neighborhood, including at the perimeter of the garden on Ridge and Mt. Vernon Streets.