Subdivision in South Meridian hot spot wins initial approval for 300+ homes
A Boise development firm got an initial thumbs-up from a city planning commission for its plans to build a more than 300-home subdivision in rapidly growing South Meridian.
The proposed subdivision, called Storyrock, would bring a “variety of housing opportunities” to a 75-acre swath of land south of Amity Road between Linder and Meridian roads, a project representative said in a Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission hearing on Thursday, June 18.
That would deliver on the promise of development for 50 acres of land on the western portion of the site, which joined the city as part of a more than 1,300-acre annexation a decade ago. Boise’s Trilogy Development is requesting to annex an additional 27 acres on the eastern portion of the site to round out the development.
Together, the development would be about the size of Meridian’s Discovery Park, or a bit smaller than two of Boise’s Julia Davis parks.
Kelli Black of Bailey Engineering, representing Trilogy, said the proposal aimed to create a walkable neighborhood that would “complement surrounding development while providing connections that support the broader South Meridian area.”
Storyrock would include 210 traditional single-family homes, 31 single-family “cottage” homes and 80 town houses, for a total of 321 homes, according to Black. The cottages, at 900 square feet apiece, are “smaller footprint, but they come with big advantages,” Black said.
Black said the cottages would cater to both first-time homebuyers and those looking to downsize.
The overall density of the subdivision would be roughly 4 units per acre, with larger lots on the development’s western side and smaller, denser homes clustered along the development’s east.
Homes would be joined by roughly 16 acres of open space dispersed throughout the development, with amenities like pathways, pickleball courts, a half basketball court, three covered picnic or gathering areas and a playground, Black said. The recreation spaces like pickleball courts are hoped to foster a sense of community, turning passersby “into spectators, and then these spectators become friends,” she said.
In Storyrock’s northeastern corner, nearest to the intersection of Amity and Meridian Road, or Idaho 69, an existing office building would remain, said Meridian planning staff at the hearing.
If approved, the development would be built in five phases.
City commission gives S. Meridian subdivision initial OK
Members of Meridian’s Planning and Zoning Commission were supportive of Trilogy’s plan at Thursday’s hearing.
The commission’s chair, Maria Lorcher, said she thought the proposal was “well-designed” and that she appreciated the amenities, open space and layout of streets within the subdivision.
“That area continues to grow, and I like the transition” from lower density on the west to higher density on the east, Lorcher said.
The fast-growing area near Amity and Linder roads is one of South Meridian’s biggest growth hot spots, planning supervisor Bill Parsons recently told the Idaho Statesman. Hundreds of homes have been approved nearby in recent years, city planning records show. Directly east of Storyrock, developers with Boise-based Hawkins Cos. proposed a large multifamily and commercial development, which was recently remanded by the City Council back to the planning commission for reconsideration.
Commission member Dom Gelsomino said he hoped developers would coordinate with the West Ada School District or other nearby educational institutions about any impact to classroom ratios that the new homes could have.
The commission voted unanimously to recommend Storyrock’s approval, and the proposal now heads to the City Council for final say.
