This article was originally written by Kate Talerico for the Idaho Statesman.
The developers of the 79-acre commercial and residential project at the southeast corner of Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road say that they will break ground on the project’s first phase — a WinCo and a new branch for the Meridian Library District — this fall.
The developers hope to open the grocery store and library to the public by the winter of 2021.
Since the project was first announced in 2017, several elements have changed — including its name. No longer Linder Village, the development is now called Orchard Park. Partners include David McKinney, managing partner at DMG Real Estate Partners; Joe Huarte, managing partner of High Desert Development LLC; and Michael Slavin, managing partner of Noun.Love.
Beyond the WinCo and library, Orchard Park will also include thousands of square feet of retail space in strip malls along Chinden Boulevard, as well as some office buildings along Linder Road. Behind the library, facing the existing Paramount subdivision, the developer plans to build more than 200 townhouses and single-family houses.
Though the developers said they intend for the project to be “walkable,” most of it will be taken up by the 550 parking spaces surrounding the planned retail spots. At the center of the development’s hundreds of square feet of parking will be a small “Main Street” development, designed in the more dense style of Bown Crossing. Design for the buildings is not yet complete, Huarte told the Statesman.
“We’ve focused on core elements, including a grocery store and a uniquely designed pedestrian-oriented retail corridor anchored by a library,” McKinney said in a news release. “We really wanted to add an entirely new type of lifestyle project to the Treasure Valley with an authentic local vibe.”
The development will also include a five-acre park located east of the WinCo.
WIDENING CHINDEN BOULEVARD
As part of the project’s approval, the developer also agreed to widen Chinden Boulevard from Linder to Locust Grove roads — with an additional lane in both directions — and to improve the intersections along the route.
The $13 million widening will be paid for up-front by the developer, who will be reimbursed through the State Tax Anticipated Revenue program. That means that the sales tax revenue the WinCo generates will go not into the state’s coffers to pay for education or other programs, but to pay back the developer for the road improvements their project necessitated.
The COVID-19 pandemic hampered the developers’ ability to sell bonds that would finance the widening of Chinden, thus delaying the project, BoiseDev reported in August.
