This story was originally published by Don Day in BoiseDev.
Last week we told you The Village at Meridian could look to expand, and file information with the City of Meridian later this year.
It’s later this year.
Centercal, the developer of the large regional shopping center, and Salt Development of Salt Lake City are listed on pre-application materials for The Bridge at The Village at Meridian. The large-scale project appears to be named for a distinctive six-story skybridge that would span E. Longwing Lane and run parallel to Eagle Rd. Longwing Ln. is the primary entrance to the Village core area for drivers heading northbound on Eagle.
Project plans submitted to the City of Meridian show a pair of six-story apartment buildings, one each on either side of Longwing, connected by the bridge. The site of the expansion is currently a set of dirt lots and surface parking.
Apartments, retail, ‘Crack Shack?’
The project would include 485 apartments on the 6.5-acre site. Plans call for 154 studios, 218 one-bedrooms and 113 two-bedroom units for a total of 598 bedrooms. Unit sizes would range from 512 square feet for a studio and up to 1,500 square feet for a two-bedroom.
The project would also include a large parking structure, integrated into the south building. It would feature parking for 775 cars, with 603 set aside for apartment residents and the remaining 172 spaces for public use.
The ground floor would include a set of at least five retail spaces along Longwing, matching the pattern of the existing Village core area. The north building features two large spaces with more than 20,000 square feet of space. Last week, Centercal’s Hugh Crawford said an additional movie theater use is still possible. The floorplans do not detail what might appear in the spaces. The north building would also include ground-floor apartment units with exterior entrances, some opening up to greenspaces.
In the south building, several retail spaces are joined by the first floor of structured parking, as well as additional ground-floor apartment units, which would open out onto a sidewalk.
A rendering posted on Salt Development’s website shows two restaurant uses in the project, though it’s not clear if the restaurant plans are final or if the rendering is speculative. The first, The Crack Shack, is a San Diego-based restaurant focused on chicken dishes – including sandwiches and fried offerings. The other depicted is WildFin American Grill – a Puget Sound chain of seafood restaurants.
Beyond the first floor, apartments and parking use continue, as well as amenity space for residents. The north building lines up apartments around a set of interior courtyards for light. The south building wraps the apartments around the parking garage.
What’s next for The Bridge
In all, the project would add an additional 640,000 square feet to the Village At Meridian, increasing from the current 950,000 square feet.
Developers will need to hold a pre-application meeting with City of Meridian officials. The project would then need approval from city officials.
