Hello FAIR Families,

I have some news! Please read! Someone had brought up that FAIR was zoned for school use and not administration use. We can request the city council vote to keep the zone for school use and then advocate for FAIR to stay. Please see Crystal City Council emails below to email them framing your comments around why keeping FAIR as a school benefits the neighborhood.

I reached out to a New Hope city council member and was told the following:

At a basic level, zoning controls what types of uses are allowed on a property. If FAIR is currently zoned specifically for school use, converting it to administrative offices likely will not be allowed without going through Crystal’s formal zoning process. That would typically require review and a vote by the Crystal City Council.

That said, zoning isn’t permanent, the district could request a change, and Crystal city council would decide whether to approve it.

Zoning has recently been an issue for the district here in New Hope. The city was involved in litigation with the district over use of an industrially zoned property for classroom instruction. The court ruled in favor of the city, and the district is currently appealing. That case reinforces that cities do have authority over land use, though these issues can become complicated quickly.

If you connect with Crystal officials, I’d suggest confirming the exact zoning designation and asking whether office use is currently permitted. Framing your comments around why keeping FAIR as a school benefits the neighborhood may be your strongest approach.

The Crystal City Council holds regular meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

City Hall Address: 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, MN 55422

Main Phone: 763-531-1000

General Email: customerservice@crystalmn.gov

City Clerk (Chrissy Serres): 763-531-1145

Direct Council Contacts:

Julie Deshler | Mayor | 612-306-5808 | julie.deshler@crystalmn.gov |

Taji Onesirosan | Section I (Wards 1 & 2) | 612-399-6791 | taji.onesirosan@crystalmn.gov |

Forest Eidbo | Section II (Wards 3 & 4) | 763-290-0091 | forest.eidbo@crystalmn.gov |

Therese Kiser | Ward 1 | 763-458-0030 | therese.kiser@crystalmn.gov |

Traci Kamish | Ward 2 | 763-220-0670 | traci.kamish@crystalmn.gov |

John Budziszewski| Ward 3 | 612-207-3704 | john.budziszewski@crystalmn.gov |

David Cummings | Ward 4 | 952-479-0816 | david.cummings@crystalmn.gov |

If you email them and hear anything different, please let me know right away to update families!