1,300 homes, thousands of people: 5 big developments facing Meridian as ’24 winds down
This story was updated Wednesday, Dec. 18, to reflect City Council decisions made on Dec. 10 and 17.
As new residents flock to Meridian — over 4,200 newcomers have made their way to the city so far this year alone, according to data from the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho — city leaders look for ways to prepare for growth.
The city is one of the fastest growing in the country and is now the second largest in the state. In March, the City Council updated its comprehensive plan, which included changes to how many stories tall new buildings can be compared to surrounding buildings.
Since then, leaders have weighed in on projects like Ahlquist Development’s District at Ten Mile, which, along with commercial and industrial components, is planned to bring 400 town homes to the Ten Mile Interchange area, the Statesman previously reported.
As the year draws toward a close, here’s a look at five residential development projects — and their 1,300 homes — planned in Meridian in the remainder of 2024.
1. High-density apartments and town homes on Ten Mile
The Gateway at Ten Mile, a multifamily complex poised to be one of Meridian’s most substantial in recent years, was unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
The complex includes a planned 390 residential dwelling units on 39 acres at the northeast corner of Franklin and Ten Mile roads. It is planned to include 200 one-bedroom, 174 two-bedroom, and 16 three-bedroom apartments, housing an estimated 758 people, the Statesman previously reported.
The area surrounding the Ten Mile Interchange has been a hot spot for growth since the interchange was constructed in 2011, with Ahlquist’s 200-acre District at Ten Mile most recently getting the OK from the City Council.
The Gateway at Ten Mile will be developed by Trevor Gasser of GFI Meridian Investments LLC with the aid of Boise-based KM Engineering. Plans filed with the city show six four-story buildings and five three-story buildings, as well as amenities including a swimming pool, fitness center, pickleball court, dog park, and a bike repair station.
Buildings will be either “corridor-style” — similar to traditional apartment buildings — or “town home-style,” which plans note will have front porches. Stephanie Hopkins, a land planning manager at KM Engineering, described the project’s “aesthetic” as “modern” in a project narrative sent to city planners.
Hopkins and Gasser did not respond to the Statesman’s requests for comment.
The City Council approved the request by GFI Meridian and KM Engineering for a conditional-use permit for the high-density apartments and a preliminary plat of the project, which also includes 17 commercial lots.
Public comments filed with the city show some concerns from community members regarding burden on infrastructure, including roads and water resources, as well as on schools. An Ada County Highway District report states predicts that with the project’s completion, Franklin Road will remain at an acceptable level of service — better than “E” — but Ten Mile, already at “F,” will not.
The development site was already annexed and the development conceptually designed in 2020. The council set a few conditions, including right-in, right-out only access on Franklin and Ten Mile roads.
Previously, the project was reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission in June and July, and again in October.
2. A new neighborhood near Discovery Park
A proposed subdivision at Meridian and Lake Hazel roads plans to bring 284 single-family homes to the Highway 69 corridor, a mile east of Discovery Park.
The 44-acre Skyranch subdivision will be developed by Boise developer Jim Conger’s the Conger Group and DevCo Residential Group.
Plans filed with the city show two-story and single-story detached single-family homes, with a mix of designs. Skyranch’s 30 proposed amenities include a swimming pool, walking trails, two pickleball courts and two dog parks. One pre-existing homeowner will stay on 2.5 acres within the land developers hope to annex for the project.
Roughly half the land for the project was originally annexed in 2018 as part of a large annexation of South Meridian. The Conger Group hopes to rezone that half from medium-low density residential to medium-high density residential. The developer hopes to annex the other half to likewise be zoned as medium-high density residential.
To do so, the group is also requesting a development agreement modification that would allow for this type of residential development.
According to a project narrative filed with the city, the Conger Group believes the homes will help support commercial and retail development that has occurred along the Highway 69 corridor.
A staff report by city planners, however, recommended denial of the project on the grounds that its singular focus on a residential neighborhood doesn’t align with the comprehensive plan’s vision for a mix of uses. The Planning and Zoning Commission also recommended denial.
Despite both recommendations, the City Council approved the project in a 3-1 vote on Dec. 10. Council Member Liz Strader cast the sole opposing vote after conversations around the project’s density, while Council Members Luke Cavener and Brian Whitlock were absent.
3. Affordable ‘workforce’ housing north of The Village
A developer plans 239 apartments on a vacant lot on the southwest corner of Eagle and Ustick roads.
Centrepoint Apartments, originally approved as 213 luxury apartments, will instead provide affordable “workforce” housing to those who make 30% to 80% the median income in Meridian.
U.S. Census Bureau data from 2023 puts Meridian’s median household income at just over $100,000.
The City Council voted favorably on the 10-acre project, with a set of conditions. Centrepoint Apartments will be developed by DevCo Residential Group with consulting from Boise-based engineering and design firm Kimley Horn.
Melanie Davies, a DevCo planning manager, told the Statesman via email that “A deed restriction will be recorded on title for the project so that it cannot be used other than for affordable housing as proposed for 40 years.”
To be able to charge below market rates, Davies said the project would receive a 9% low-income housing tax credit from the U.S. Treasury Department. The 9% credit translates to approximately a 70% subsidy, according to Novogradac, an accounting and consulting services organization.
Plans for the project, which have been revised after feedback from the Planning and Zoning Commission, would include 120 one-bedroom, 88 two-bedroom, and 33 three-bedroom apartments.
The apartments would be designed in five buildings, including one two-story, two-three story, and two four-story flat-roofed buildings. Three buildings would be centrally located around a common outdoor open space, with two additional buildings beyond.
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The site sits between residential neighborhoods to the south and west and “more intense” commercial development on Eagle and Ustick roads. According to a Kimley Horn project narrative, Centrepoint Apartments would provide a “compatible transition” between these two very different land uses.
Still, neighbors in the nearby residential areas have raised concerns about how the higher density apartments could affect their neighborhood by adding traffic, taller buildings and noise.
“This type of development does not belong on a major corridor, nor blocking out a small enclave subdivision,” Joseph Lemay, a nearby homeowner, wrote in a letter to city officials.
Lemay also states, in a passage echoed by others, that “the lack of ingress and egress, as well as the dead end streets in Jackson Square unfortunately lend themselves well to nefarious activities and individuals which generally accompany ‘affordable housing’ developments.”
Following some concerns raised at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, plans for Centrepoint were modified to reduce the number of units requested from 295 to 239, and to do away with some proposed on-street parking that could have caused congestion. Pickleball courts were also removed from the proposal, on account of noise.
Planned amenities still include a clubhouse, fitness facilities, a picnic area and a dog park.
The project has letters of support from St. Lukes and Saint Alphonsus health systems.
In a letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Rebecca Lemmons, regional director of community health and well-being at Saint Alphonsus, says the project is “a pivotal development aimed at addressing the critical need for affordable housing in our community.”
The City Council ultimately approved the 239 affordable units on Tuesday, Nov. 19 on the conditions that window privacy provisions are included and that DevCo work with ACHD and the homeowner’s association of the neighboring subdivision to find locations for two additional speed bumps.
4. Modern farm-style houses with a ‘gathering barn’
An 80-acre subdivision with 347 single-family houses is planned at the corner of McMillan and Black Cat roads.
The project, called Baratza Subdivision — after the Basque word for “orchard” — is planned to have a “modern agricultural” aesthetic, complete with an orchard, an irrigation pond and a “gathering barn.”
The “farm and ranch themed” homes would be in the medium-high density range and would have a minimum of 1,500-square feet of living area on lots averaging 3,304-square feet.
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The land would be developed by Lennar, a Miami-based company that has increased its presence in the Treasure Valley in recent years. The Land Group, an Eagle-based planning, design and architecture firm will help.
Black Cat and The Land Group want the City Council to annex the 80 acres and approve a preliminary plat, as well as provide a waiver allowing blocks to be longer than typically allowed.
An original proposal for a subdivision on the 80 acres, called James Ranch subdivision, was denied by the City Council in 2022, due to traffic concerns.
City planning staff have recommended approval for Baratza, with 17 conditions, including a mix of styles for the homes. Staff notes that ACHD expects that with the project constructed, McMillan Road to the west of Ten Mile will exceed the acceptable level of service in the afternoon peak hour but not at all other hours.
A letter from the West Ada School District estimates the project would add 171 school-age children to nearby schools Pleasant View Elementary, Star Middle and Owyhee High. Pleasant View is already over program capacity with 735 students and a capacity of 625.
Craig Block, who lives in the Bridgewater West subdivision south of the proposed Baratza subdivision, submitted testimony to the city citing concerns about school capacity, pedestrian safety for students walking to school, and traffic. Block noted the project is expected to generate 2,804 daily vehicle trips.
The project was originally denied by the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 3 — to cheers from a small crowd of neighbors. Since then, Lennar and The Land Group have worked with city planners to incorporate feedback. The developers also agreed to upfront the cost of a new roundabout at Black Cat and McMillan roads. With the $6 million paid upfront, the roundabout is expected to be completed one to two years earlier than scheduled. The developers are expected to receive $4.5 million back in impact fees, leaving $1.5 million as an overall contribution.
The new plan was unanimously approved by the City Council at a public hearing on Dec. 17.
5. A sliver of Brighton’s Pinnacle in South Meridian
The Statesman previously reported that an area in South Meridian at Locust Grove and Lake Hazel roads was expected to be a future development hot spot. Meridian’s Brighton Corp., with a slate of projects filed with the city in that area, appears to be delivering.
Brighton’s Pinnacle development has a lot of moving parts. It includes an existing subdivision located across from Meridian’s newest library branch, the Meridian Library at Pinnacle, which Brighton also developed.
Now, plans filed with the city show Apex Zenith, Apex Northwest, Apex Farr and Apex Phenomenal — all parts of the broader Pinnacle development.
The larger Pinnacle project will encompass the northwest and southeast corners of Locust Grove and Lake Hazel roads, totaling roughly 600 acres. While different aspects are making their way through city processes, a 16-acre piece of the pie, Apex Phenomenal, had its preliminary plat approved by the City Council on Dec. 10.
Apex Phenomenal will be on the western portion of Pinnacle, running along the north side of Lake Hazel Road. Plans show 64 single-family units at a medium high density of 7.8 units per acre. Homes would be a mix of detached and attached single-family homes on carriage lanes. Average lot sizes would be 3,173 square feet. Residents would have access to amenities throughout Pinnacle.
A letter from West Ada estimates these 64 homes would generate 32 school-age children, though Pinnacle as a whole would include more. Speaking to the cumulative impact of different developments in the area, the letter notes that in the last five years, there have been 6,186 residential units approved within a one-mile radius of the development, resulting in 3,611 school-age children. West Ada notes that Mountain View High School, near the proposed Pinnacle project, has 2,537 students, with a capacity for only 2,175.
Brighton’s Apex Farr has 381 planned homes. Apex Northwest has 40. And Apex Zenith, a 140-acre project, would contain a residential component, though unit estimates are not yet known.
Brian White of Meridian testified in opposition to Apex Phenomenal during the Dec. 10 public hearing, noting his home sits on nine acres in the middle of Brighton’s plans for the area. “I’m being squeezed, and going to pop out like a zit,” White said.
Amanda McNutt, a senior project manager at Brighton Corp., did not respond to the Statesman’s request for comment.
Stay up to date with public hearings on developments like these at: https://apps.meridiancity.org/phnotices/.
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 2:57 PM.
