Projects Linking Art, Community and Education, a non-profit organization focused on city renovation, has started working on plans with St. Louis Park to create a new eco-village and creative center in the center of the city.

The project plans to introduce “Via,” a new accessible hub, complete with more living spaces and new buildings, including both workspaces and 100 hotels units.

These changes should be welcomed, as there are very few negative repercussions of PLACE’s plan.

According to its website, PLACE will position the project at 5725 State Highway 7, right next to where Highway 7 and Wooddale intersect. It will run adjacent to the Cedar Trail bike path where the future light rail will run through. The location of the project will allow for the light rail station to become a central destination in the city.

The useful placement of the building makes it accessible to many in the city, particularly because of the proximity to and use of the regional bike trails.

The project is also a short walk southeast from the high school, allowing high school students to access downtown more easily while keeping the new buildings relatively close to the center of the city.

One advantage to the project is that the PLACE will not receive any payment from the city.

Anybody concerned with how the city will pay for such a project should take solace in knowing PLACE, as a non-profit organization, will pay for the $127 million  project by themselves and will not receive any money from the city. Additional funding will only come from grants from the Met Council and Hennepin county.

However, PLACE will receive cut taxes for the property in order to aid PLACE in building “Via.”

The renewable aspects of the buildings also add confidence to our support for PLACE’s plans for the city.

These aspects include the use of anaerobic digesters, wind turbines and solar panels which, in combination, will provide for a large majority of “Via”’s power.

Modern updates for the city should always welcome. The editorial board believes PLACE needs to make information about development more accessible to all St. Louis Park residents, not just city council, and students should stay updated on the overall process.