800 acres. 2,000 homes. Perhaps a Costco. A giant Meridian development is moving ahead
South Meridian, which has seen explosive residential growth in recent years, is anticipated to have a new office and shopping center soon.
Brighton Corp.’s Apex Zenith, the “principal commercial component” of its more than 800-acre, master-planned community called Pinnacle, got the initial go-ahead from Meridian City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The nearly 150-acre commercial piece of the pie would sit on the southeast corner of Lake Hazel and Meridian roads.
Plans for the development filed with the city show a 346,000-square-foot box store rumored to be a Costco, 100,000 square feet of retail space, another 100,000 square feet of medical or office space, and over 58 acres of residential area with a medium-high density zoning.
The type of dwelling and the exact number of units are not yet known, though Brighton’s plans show a density ranging from eight to 15 units per acre, and an application filed with the city references multifamily units. Whatever the number, these homes will join the 358 already built in the Pinnacle community and the roughly 1,600 more that could come by full build-out.
A two-step plan for road improvements, retail
Apex Zenith, which would provide retail services to individuals living in and near the otherwise largely residential project, would be built in two steps, Brighton President of Development Jon Wardle told the City Council at the public hearing on Jan 14.
The first step would be to build the retail and office components, including the planned box store or warehouse — which Wardle did not name but referred to as the “regional commercial user” — as well as all adjacent roadway improvements on the north and west sides of the sites. This would include building a full access turn on Lake Hazel Road and internal drive aisles near the corner of Lake Hazel and Meridian roads.
This road work is expected to begin in June 2025, Wardle told the council. Improvements to the rest of the public roads within the site would begin in August 2025. All improvements in this first phase would have to be completed by August 2026, before the regional commercial user’s opening, Wardle said.
The second step would be for Brighton to come back to the city with detailed design plans for the rest of the property, including the residential component.
City Council members described this as a “bubble plan,” noting that Brighton was asking for certain approvals — namely the rezoning of roughly 71 acres and annexation of another roughly 78 acres for the development — without a complete or “master” design plan.
“We are asking for some leeway in terms of starting and bringing back to you the full plan,” Wardle told the council.
The bubble plan would allow Brighton to get started on road improvements and move along with its regional commercial user, which some council members speculated could be a Costco. “We do have some commitments and obligations we’re trying to fulfill,” Wardle said.
Wardle said Brighton is committed to keeping Phase 2 “on hold” for further collaboration with the city.
“I think we have demonstrated that our investments are forward-thinking,” Wardle said, noting that Brighton has already dedicated between $8 million and 9 million in improvements along Lake Hazel Road, some of which could be reimbursed in impact fees by the Ada County Highway District.
Explaining some of the reasoning behind the proposed bubble plan, Bill Parsons, planning supervisor in the city’s planning division, said city “staff felt very adamant about coming in with the entire thing so we could share the picture with all of you at the very front end.”
City planning staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the development.
Not ‘another Eagle Road’: Brighton, ITD plan for traffic
The council also discussed concerns around traffic and access points along Meridian Road.
“We’re sensitive to creating another Eagle Road here,” Council Member Doug Taylor said at the hearing.
Wardle told the council that his company has a 1,400-page traffic-impact study which is awaiting acceptance from the Idaho Transportation Department, which has jurisdiction over Meridian Road, also known as State Highway 69. Wardle said ITD is “intimately involved” in planning for traffic circulation in Apex Zenith, noting that Brighton is working with the department on a Sales Tax Anticipated Revenue Program, or STAR, Agreement. The agreement, which has not yet been finalized, would involve the developer fronting the cost of roadway improvements to be later reimbursed.
Wardle pointed out three intersections along Meridian Road where Brighton could support ITD in adding deceleration lanes and also proposed the addition of a signal at the intersection of Lake Hazel Road and Prevail Avenue. According to Wardle’s presentation, the transportation department and the highway district support this signal and one at Meridian Road and Aristocrat Drive.
Meridian Mayor Robert Simison said at the hearing that one of the “lessons learned” from Eagle Road is how “crucial” deceleration lanes are to enabling traffic flow. These lanes are “what ITD is really pushing towards,” Simison said.
First up: Big box store
City Council members also addressed rumblings that Apex Zenith’s regional commercial user, which is expected to open August 2026, could be a Costco, as BoiseDev reported. The council members referenced the Costco on Chinden Boulevard in Northwest Meridian, which opened in 2020 as part of another Brighton development, to the dismay of some neighbors.
“I think it’s great that we’ve already been through a Costco together,” Council Member Liz Strader said at the hearing. “I think that’s great that you have all that feedback from that project from neighbors.”
“The nice thing is you’re here first, so anybody that moves in ... knows what they’re getting into,” Strader said.
Neither Brighton nor the city’s public information officer were able to confirm that the site would indeed become a Costco.
“Details about the Apex Zenith development will come as future permitting applications are submitted to the city by the developers over the next couple of years,” Trevor Smith, Meridian public information officer, wrote in an email to the Statesman.
If built, the Costco would be Meridian’s second and the Treasure Valley’s fourth.
The City Council approved the zoning and annexation request for Apex Zenith in a 4-1 vote, with lone opposition from Council President Luke Cavener, who said he wanted to see a more “comprehensive master plan” for the 150-acre site before he could agree to the initial request.
The approval means Brighton will be able to move forward with road improvements and building the box store and medical or office space. The developer would have to come back to the city to request plat approval for its second phase, which Wardle said would likely happen by the end of this year.
