LOUISIANA (KLFY) -- From economic growth to a better life for the people who live there, the future of St. Martinville starts at UL Lafayette as the architecture and design department is preparing to enhance every aspect of the city's growth with the help of the community.

Tom Sammons is an architecture professor and director of UL's community design workshop.

"From the beginning, we will work collaboratively with the city. We have public meetings. We bring in a visioning, you know, process of, you know, what are the possibilities? Where can the city grow? How can it improve?" he said.

The outreach program has been working with St. Martinville and LA Louisiane Consulting. Plans to bring safer and more attractive living situations, annexing the city limits, and more businesses, are all part of the big picture.

St. Martinville Mayor Jason Willis said executing everything will lead to a growing and more appealing economy.

"It allows the city to be self-sustaining," he said. Then we can have nicer things like nicer rules, nicer sidewalks, nicer parks, you know, different, more, more business," he said.

The program has continued to use input provided by residents at different public meetings to help set up St. Martinville for the future.

"It touches my heart a little bit that the things that I'm working on really do make a difference and it really does matter," said fourth-year architecture student, Brooke Cormier. "People care and people have been showing up to these city meetings and people have been putting in their feedback and we love to hear it. The more the more the merrier."

Former State Senator Donald Cravins is a part of the project. He said he likes what he sees so far.

"A 30-year plan and we hope that it'll be accelerated in a much shorter period for at least the beginning of it. We believe it will. I think once the plan is completed, it's going to be virtually impossible to stop it from taking off because that's how impressive it is," he said.

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