PLACE

I am currently an intern at PLACE as part of my Baltic American Freedom Foundation fellowship. I come a long way from Latvia to be part of PLACE team and it has been an outstanding experience for me so far. PLACE team consists of mission-driven, hard-working, passionate individuals and I feel honored to work alongside every single one of them. Right away I felt as if I am at the right place and the feeling has not changed during these 6 months. What I respect the most about this team and organization is their dedication and ambition to aim for the stars and keep tackling every single challenge that comes in their way.

PLACE's projects are unique and inspiring. With their focus on building an inclusive community by providing affordable and healthy living to people from all income levels and different backgrounds, PLACE is building bridges within our society. By working on implementing neighborhood-size renweable energy systems in their projects, PLACE is introducing an innovative form or living. Their work proves that there is, in fact, a healthier, more resilient, sustainable and cost-effective way to inhabit urban settlements.

The concept of changing the way we live and the way we build communities itself is something I wish to bring back to my country. While studying urban planning, we were always thought about the importance of community involvement in development projects. For me, it feels like PLACE is already five steps ahead. Their extensive community involvement process is actually not a new science, however, it's their genuine care, dedication and persistent communication with the community that sets them apart. I admire that.

I believe that the work PLACE is doing will change the way we live, commute, spend our time and money and share space with one another, will change the way we teach our children about the world and will improve the way we communicate with one another. People might just realize that we already knew how to live, we just forgot. PLACE is here to remind you of that whilst also providing an innovation.

I first crossed paths with PLACE when living in an apartment next door to a future PLACE development. I had noticed that the abandoned building next to my apartment was in the process of being demolished, and, one day, I received an email from my property management company regarding the activity going on next door.

I read all about PLACE as an organization and the community it was looking to build. I identified strongly with the PLACE mission and was entirely impressed by the unique vision and innovative approach of the organization. As a lawyer and urban planner with something to contribute, I wanted to help.

I reached out to PLACE, and a member of the PLACE Team, Alice, responded. I eventually met Alice and the rest of the PLACE Team and, now being entirely impressed by its people, I began to volunteer my time. I dove right in, and, now, I am a permanent member of the PLACE Team.

I think what PLACE does best is leverage alliances, efficiencies, and innovations to create opportunities not just for affordable housing but for affordable living. For example, for one development currently underway, PLACE is leveraging a diversified portfolio of funding sources, transportation amenities (e.g., access to light rail and stipends for car-free living), and innovations in renewable energy—e.g., wind turbines, solar arrays, and food-waste-to-energy facilities—to produce cumulative cost-of-living savings for its residents.

The PLACE Team is a unique combination of professionals in law, planning, architecture, development, and community engagement, among other things. I can attest that the individuals who make up the PLACE Team are passionate about creating beautiful, vibrant, healthy, connected, and affordable state-of-the-art communities for people of all incomes, abilities, and backgrounds.

I first learned about PLACE when I told my architecture professor that I wanted to help create buildings that are healthy for people and the planet while also being affordable to people of all income ranges and backgrounds. He immediately recommended getting in touch with Chris Velasco, the executive director and co-founder of PLACE. I began my research into PLACE and thought, "Is this real? Is someone actually weaving in all these wonderful elements of environment, health, art, community and affordability into their projects? This can't be real. I must be a part of this!"

The work of pushing for innovative holistic strategies in a somewhat unmovable development system is always challenging, but reminding myself of all the people who will someday call a PLACE community home as a result of our work makes it worth it. Of course, it also helps working with a great supportive team at PLACE as well as all the other wonderful people I get to work with among our current and future community members, regional government staff, designers, engineers, contractors and subs, experts, and everyone else we meet along the way who is passionate about creating these amazing PLACE communities.

As a Resident Artist of the one of a kind WAV in Ventura, I can say that PLACE has set the bar high for a new way of living. PLACE conceptualized a new type of creative and caring neighborhood, and the results have surpassed any of my dream like expectations. The orchestration is no less beautiful than a symphony with co-creative minds working together to make this world a better place. I am honored to call The WAV my home and continue to create art which hopefully will benefit my community and environment. PLACE has changed lives and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Our family relocated thousands of miles in the hope of being part of something new and something great; a community of working artists living in affordable, eco-friendly residences in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. We have not been disappointed, and indeed our experience has exceeded all hopes. A huge amount of ingenuity has clearly been put into both the project as a whole and each individual aspect, from the design of the living spaces to maximise natural light to the selection of artists to ensure a balanced yet diverse community of individuals and families. The creating of a community, both in the bricks and mortar (a phenomenal achievement in itself) and in the people who are now living here, signals a radical yet brilliant vision. The lives of all those involved have been deeply enriched. These benefits are apparent after only a few months of the project being operational. The long-term postive impact on the community and the surrounding society is likely to be immeasurable.

I am living! I do not feel afraid. I have found a space that is understanding of who I am. An Artist. I am GREATFUL for the oppportunity to create history. To be alive and creating a home for my five year old son, Jubal-Lee. I am challenged each month to work hard to provide for my family and i am rewarded each month with a home and art studio at the WAV! This month (03.05.10) I invite two younge emerging artists to show at My Peacock Party Art Walk and next month i showcase Recycled Art. All thanks to PLACE, and a vision, and the means to manifest!

I just moved into the WAV building as a tenant, and just wanted to hurry and tell the world what a magnificent PLACE this is. Chris Velasco has created an ideal center for artist to inhabit. The WAV project is the dream home of every artist. It is so inspiring to see your neighbors happy, helpful, and dedicated to their ideals. Nothing can stop the group of artist living in the WAV project from being successful with their projects and giving back to their community. Julinya Vidigal De Vince

I worked on the construction team that built the WAV project in Ventura, California. It is the most extraordinary project I have worked on in over twenty years in the profession. PLACE and Chris Velasco made us feel like important members of the team, and actually took the time to thank us for our work. I know they didn't have a big budget, but the community is the most beautiful project in Ventura and the greenest building in the region. Bravo to them!

I am continually impressed by the PLACE team's diplomacy and communication skills and have been inspired by their unwavering commitment to ethical management of the City's project at every step of the way. PLACE has succeeded in structuring a community process with the WAV project in Ventura that is inclusive, transparent, open and fair, and has done so with incredible good humor and generosity in the face of the many complex negotiations that are an inevitable part of any large public, private collaboration.

The most committed, energetic and knowledgeable staff with whom you could ever work. Everyone is marked by a high level of creativity and a perseverance to see lengthy, complex project through to completion.

I have worked with PLACE on the Working Artists in Ventura project, and the things that have impressed me are their genuine commitment to an open, public design process and their tenacity in holding on to the quality of the design through the difficult process of entitling and financing a project.

When I was laid off from my interior and product design position in Oct ‘o8, I found myself eager to return to my work as a fiber artist. In years past I have been involved in the development of crafts marketplaces on both coasts. I inquired about the WAV project and was introduced to PLACE. After receiving a tour of the WAV construction site with Chris Velasco, I’m enthusiastic about the organization and the model being created for Ventura. Mr. Velasco has made himself readily accessible to the artists and the community at large. I'm confident that PLACE has extended their reach as far as possible to provide affordable housing for artist within a socially and environmentally balanced community while accentuating the beautiful views and respecting the local landscape. The project supports the artist’s ability to continue creating and offers new opportunity for eco friendly retail businesses. The visual and performing arts activity produced in and around WAV will enrich the community at large while setting the president for future green developments. As a single parent struggling in a down economy, the dramatic change WAV will bring in our ability to make ends meets can’t come soon enough!

I work for Bernards. We are the General Contractor on the WAV Project in Ventura, CA for PLACE. Speaking for myself I not only appreciate the opportunity bur am proud to be associated with such an innovative and socially responsible project. Everyone on the PLACE Team is a pleasure to work with. I wish them continued success. Bernards would be happy to work with these energy filled professionals again anytime! Gary Henschell Senior Project Manager

I attended a city hall meeting a few years ago to speak about the needs of artists. This meeting was based around a non-profit project to create affordable living for artists. I was expecting bureaucracy, and the mundane. What PLACE brought to the table, and now into reality, couldn't be more amazing. They're the most forward thinking people I know. They're literally bringing dreams to life before our eyes. I can recommend nobody in higher regards.

PLACE is the most innovative community problem-solving organization I have ever had the pleasure to work with. They bring a level of strategic thinking and implementation that is awe-inspiring. In my experience with them, they have accomplished a project that was almost universally accepted as impossible - and they have done so with remarkable speed and effectiveness.