Looking to rent a place in the urban center, with all the amenities, close to shopping, gyms and a good coffee shop? Get in line. Developers are scrambling to meet demand for high-end apartment complexes in the Twin Cities. In the fourth quarter of 2011, Minneapolis issued permits to build 1,900 residential units in downtown alone, KARE 11 says.

Chicago-based Magellan Development Group on Thursday started construction on the 36-story mixed-use high-rise at 1369 Spruce Place in the Loring Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, KARE 11 reports.

Minneapolis-based Schafer Richardson is developing the six-story, 204-unit market rate apartment building in the North Loop area of Minneapolis' Warehouse District. The Business Journal reports Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. is set to start constructing the $39 million project dubbed "Third North" on Thursday. The apartment complex is scheduled to open in December of next year.

The proposed nine-story, 212,000-square-foot office building will be on the corner of Fourth Street and Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, across the street from Xcel's current headquarters. Minnetonka-based Opus Development Corp. plans to start construction in 2014, with occupancy expected in 2016.