Crystal Apartment Proposal Grows As Developers Ask for Final Approval
Developers of a proposed apartment complex in Crystal have increased the building’s total number of units and its height.
The building, which is proposed at the 2.2-acre Wells Fargo site at 7000 56th Ave. N., would be the first market-rate complex constructed in Crystal since the 1980s.
“It’s really exciting that it’s the first market-rate housing apartment building in Crystal in 40 years, which is really cool,” said Council Member David Cummings in December 2025.
The city council had previously given the project the go-ahead, but engineers discovered the water table at the site is higher than previously anticipated.
As a result, architects with Minneapolis-based Yellow Tree Development have redesigned the building to sit higher above the water table.
For the project to continue moving ahead, the council would have to approve a rezoning plan for the newly-designed 66-foot-tall, five-story, 178-unit complex.
That’s six-feet taller than was originally proposed. The new plans also added four units to the building.
With the increased height, the city conducted a shadow study, which “shows no significant negative impacts to the residential areas to the west,” according to Crystal Planning Commission documents. “The most significant impact is on December 21, but the shadow leaves the residential buildings by 9:38 a.m. (previously with the lower building height, the shadow would leave these residences by 9:30 a.m.).”
City staff also found that the building was not disproportionately larger than neighboring buildings.
However, a resident told the planning commission at its Feb. 9 meeting that she and her neighbors were concerned about the height.
“We are concerned about the privacy, the sunshine,” she said. “We’re concerned about the height. If the water table is a problem, then let’s address how not to go higher.”
The planning commission ultimately recommended the project for approval. It will go before the city council on Feb. 17.
