PLAZA VERDE
Plaza Verde has been home to the Minneapolis office of LEDC the Latino Economic Development Center since late 2004. In addition to the LEDC office, the building located on Lake St., also houses several Latino-oriented businesses. Renovating this 43,000 square-foot, four-story building was a significant accomplishment for LEDC and its project partners. In March 2005, Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak acknowledged the hard work and dedication that transformed ...“a vacant and blighted property into a revitalized retail destination for community-based businesses and a center for art groups.” Plaza Verde is a public and private partnership that has set an example in stabilizing and revitalizing Lake St. Commercial Corridor.

MIDTOWN GLOBAL MARKET
The former Sears building is a key property on East Lake Street. The City of Minneapolis was considering bringing in a national retailer as a anchor tennat for the project, LEDC organized a response that convinced the city to work with local Latino businesses instead. As a result, the Midtown Global Market opened in 2006 as part of the Midtown Exchange. The $18 million project was spearheaded by the Latino Economic Development Center, Neighborhood Development Center, African Development Center, and Powderhorn Phillips Central Wellness Center. Roughly one-third of the tenants were startup businesses, coming from as graduates of the trainings, and the classes offered by LEDC and other neighborhood partners. About half the vendors were “Second Level” entrepreneurs, who have three to five years of experience in business.

PLAZA LATINA

In 1999, the organizers of the Mercado Central project were asked to help on the duplication of Mercado Central in St. Paul by the Latino congregation members of the Sacred Heart Church in St. Paul. In 2000 the first economic forum was implemented and Plaza Latina was established on Payne Avenue by members of the Mercado Central development team in collaboration with the East Side Neighborhood Development Center.

Plaza Latina It's a smaller version of the Mercado Central with 10 business as tenants.  These businesses as well as several other businesses that opened in a two year period between 2000 and 2002, were the initial Latino businesses to open on the East Side of St. Paul. Leading to the conbined total of approximately 50 new developed businesses in the Payne Ave., Lake St., and East 7th Street areas.

REVITALIZATION OF LATINO BUSINESS CORRIDOR OF LAKE ST.

In 1994 there were no Latino businesses on Lake St. At the end of 2000 there were almost 300. At least 80% of those businesses have received assistance from LEDC. Latino businesses in Minneapolis are mainly located along a 3 mile stretch of E Lake St, Central Ave in NE and Nicollet Ave S. LEDC also provides technical assistance to privately owned projects like Lake Plaza, the International Bazaar, La Hacienda Plaza, and La Terraza Mall.