MERIDIAN, Idaho — With Scheels set to open to the public Saturday, city officials and residents speaking on the growth and development of the surrounding area, as well as insight from COMPASS on the area's infrastructure.
- COMPASS says that Ten Mile Rd is currently, and has been, one of the 'hottest spots' in the valley to request development permits.
- Development Monitoring Report for 2023
- Check out the City of Meridian's Active Public Hearing Map.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“To bring in all the new stores, the Grocery Outlet, Starbucks, and now Scheels… it’s just going to make Meridian explode and I’m excited to see it,” said Meridian Resident Taylor Foad, who told me he moved to the Ten Mile and Franklin area years ago for a quieter living space but knew development was well on its way.
“From the freeway down Ten Mile was already bad enough, but I am excited for Scheels to be here, we’ll just see how the traffic management really works,” says Foad.
The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho, better known as COMPASS, monitors applications for developments like retail stores and apartment buildings in the Treasure Valley.
“Absolutely, Ten Mile and just north of I-84, is a real hot spot of activity for residential uses and commercial uses, so it’s a busy area,” said Planner Austin Miller, he tells me that COMPASS has been working for the last ten plus years with the City of Meridian, ITD, and ACHD to create infrastructure that would support new development around Ten Mile Crossing, and he remembers when Ten Mile was a two-lane road.
“A lot of this is intentional. You put housing near where the restaurants and jobs and other amenities are, and maybe that will alleviate some of the pressure to travel further throughout the community, and again boost the local economy,” said Miller.
At Thursday morning's ribbon-cutting ceremony, Meridian Chamber of Commerce president Sean Evans told me he averages 3 to 5 businesses opening a week, “We’re just here to help support, promote, and advocate for the business community."
COMPASS planners anticipate the next area to receive multiple development applications will be between Ten Mile and the new Highway 16 interchange.
