Gated, golf course community gets green light in Meridian — despite P&Z, neighbor objections
A 328-unit subdivision, with some homes in a gated community, is coming to South Meridian.
The Meridian City Council approved the “premier golf course community” Tuesday, despite Planning and Zoning and neighbor concerns.
The subdivision, Skybreak Neighborhood, will be adjacent to Boise Ranch Golf Course. About 15 homes will back up to the course. The developer, the Boise-based Conger Group, plans to market the homes to older “empty nesters.”
The neighborhood will have almost half of the residential units within a private, gated section.
The Skybreak subdivision will be located on 80.5 acres of what is currently farmland, to the east of Eagle Road and south of Lake Hazel Road. The subdivision would include several lots located on one of the elevated ridges in southeast Meridian, providing views of the Boise Foothills.
The homes that back up to the golf course will be what the developer is calling “CEO housing.”
The Conger Group submitted the proposal for Skybreak in June 2020. The development group withdrew the application after an October 2020 Planning and Zoning meeting where staff recommended denying the proposal. The Conger Group resubmitted the proposal in January 2021, but the commission again recommended denying the proposal at an April meeting. The commission recommended denial because of the lack of sidewalks in the public part of the subdivision and the gated community aspect, which is typically not allowed for over 50 homes.
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The Meridian City Council heard the proposal at a May 26 meeting and asked the developer to come back with amendments to the proposal. The developer added sidewalks and proposed putting larger, one-acre lots next to the Vantage Pointe subdivision to the south to make a better transition between the two neighborhoods.
The amendments were good enough for most of the council members, but Councilwoman Liz Strader worried about drainage and runoff due to the elevated rims surrounding the 80-plus acres.
“I am concerned that it sounds like we have a gap in understanding of the topography,” Strader said in the meeting. “We have a rim out there and we need to have good drainage and upholding the landscape. I wish we could have paused development in this area to study it and get recommendations on how to best treat it.”
Deborah Nelson, a Boise land use attorney representing the Conger Group, said the developer would be sure to add drains in areas of the subdivision where runoff was a concern.
The Skybreak Neighborhood faced opposition from residents in neighboring subdivisions, who worried that the new homes would block their views of the Foothills. They also worried about drainage, density and the gated community aspect.
Meridian’s Unified Dwelling Code allows for a limited gated community of 50 or fewer homes. The Planning and Zoning Commission cited this in its denial, because the developer’s proposal includes 112 homes with private streets in the gated communities.
“Gated communities are not allowed in the city, they just want that development to have a cushy look to it,” said Annette Alonso, a representative of the Meridian Southern Rim Coalition — a group of hundreds of residents concerned about the city’s growth.
Alonso was hoping the council would leave the land as is, instead of adding a large subdivision.
The council approved the subdivision with all but Strader voting in favor.
The Skybreak Neighborhood will be built in nine phases.
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
