Crystal Leaders Solidify Town Center Vision Plan
The City of Crystal wants to make sure development–and redevelopment–in the city’s central district follows a vision well discussed among city council and residents over the last several months.
Community Development Director John Sutter said initial discussions about a Town Center Vision plan began with city council last fall, and went through two rounds of public input as well. It lays out what the city wants to see for possible development in the area that is the city limits on the west to Bottineau Boulevard on the east and 58th Avenue on the north to the railroad tracks on the south.
The intersection of Bass Lake Road and Broadway in Crystal, the heart of the city’s shopping and dining district.
“Rather than react to change, (city council) wanted to plan for change, they wanted to be out in front of change and kind of lay out what they want this area to become as change occurs over the next 25 years or so,” said Sutter. He pointed out that one big change that very few people could have predicted was the closure of the Walgreens at the corner Bass Lake Road and Broadway in 2025. “We need a vision for this whole area, so that as certain properties become sites for potential redevelopment, the city’s vision for what it would like to see there is very clear,” he said.
City Council is expected to give final approval to the plan at its February 17th meeting, Sutter said.
“We’ve already seen substantial development interest in this area as property has become available,” he said. “By the end of 2027, we will possibly have as many as 300 new apartment units in this town center area, and so that is also one of the reasons the council felt it very important to start planning to create this future vision because developers are starting to look at crystal in ways they haven’t looked at us in the past.”
