Wellington Management, a St. Paul firm, is developing the $28.4-million project in partnership with Hunt Associates of Minneapolis; the architects on the project are Elness Swenson Graham Architects. Emerald Gardens will comprise a total of 212 units on three acres of land when it is completed late in 2005.

Emerald Gardens will be a rectangle of four buildings. It takes its name from Emerald Street on its west side, the border between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The area was formerly comprised of scattered industrial and commercial interests with some unused warehouse and sheds creating an eyesore directly behind University Avenue. Each building will face a different street and will have its own address. The $28.4-million project includes $2.5 million in city-backed tax-increment financing.

Although the project is near an industrial area, it is also near Minneapolis' popular Prospect Park neighborhood.

Architect Richard Fischer, president of the St. Paul Chapter of the AIA, and member of the Awards Panel says of the project that the "buildings artfully blend traditional residential and commercial materials of brick and stucco with a naturally finished metal panel", thereby linking the site's historic industrial use with the adjoining residential and commercial neighborhoods.