The gears to a cog that eventually will change the history of the Cedar Village area made their first turn.

The East Village Planning Team approved the redevelopment of East Village at its meeting on Thursday. There still is a long process of approval from surrounding communities and counties to go through, but plans could be approved by year's end.

Although major changes to the area - bounded on the west and east by Bogue Street and Hagadorn Road and on the north and south by Grand River Avenue and the Red Cedar River - could occur during the next 10 to 15 years, it's hard not to feel sad about the impending loss and afraid for what the change might mean for students.

For as long as anyone can remember, the Cedar Village area has been a place where students who desire to stay close to campus, yet needed affordable housing, could find decent lodging. It's not the nicest place to live, but at least you could walk to class and you were living in the heart of the student body.

Traditionally, the area has been host to student celebrations of MSU sports teams - some of them good and some not so good. The area has been a staging ground for violent disturbances following the MSU men's basketball team's runs in the NCAA Tournament.

The decision to redevelop these areas, in part, was one made because of such occurrences. You have to be critical of a city that feels the problem of student celebration can be handled by rebuilding the area where they gather.

The redevelopment will encompass tearing down several apartment complexes, rental homes and business, which will be replaced with parks, new business, condominiums and student apartments.

Pay attention to what develops with the condominiums and student apartments. More than likely, the council's desire to draw young professionals and retirees to the area could marginalize the needs of students.

On the other end, hopefully, the development will be a positive addition to the East Lansing community. Largely, the East Village area is a poorly constructed labyrinth of housing that didn't utilize the Red Cedar River waterfront to its advantage. New plans call to introduce parks and turn the river into a beautiful area for residents to enjoy.

City officials have quite a task in front of them between having a market study done on the area to see if the redevelopment is even feasible and locating the funding to bringing it about.

During the process of selecting businesses and planning housing, they should keep students' interests at the forefront of their decisions. Students and the university are an integral part of the East Lansing community and a part of the reason the city is as prosperous as it is. City officials aren't just tinkering with a part of the city; it's a part of MSU's history.