General Blog

Join us Wednesday, August 25 at Meridian City Hall to get involved as a champion for Downtown Meridian.

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:24:00 GMT

The Destination Downtown Vision Document is a guideline of what we would like to see our community become. However, nothing will happen without strong community involvement to bring the goals of the plan to life to shape the future of Meridian's core.

Join us tomorrow at 5pm us as we break into the four sections associated with the Vision: Livability, Mobility, Prosperity and Sustainability - and discuss the priority action items for each.

These action items within the plan are not "concrete", so bring your ideas, opinions, passions and have your say!

Please join us for this opportunity to play a part in our city's future and help foster Meridian's recognition as one of the best places to live in the USA.

Public invited to kickoff bash for next phase of Destination Downtown on August 3

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:44:00 GMT

Downtown Meridian Needs Champions
Public invited to kickoff bash for next phase of Destination Downtown on August 3

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Downtown Meridian is looking for champions — those with a passion for their community’s core and the enthusiasm to put a vision into action for the future.

The Meridian Development Corporation (MDC), the urban renewal agency for Meridian, is inviting the public to a dual celebration of Downtown on Tuesday, August 3.

The evening will start with a kickoff bash for the next phase of Destination Downtown – the master plan for the future of Downtown Meridian, followed by food and live music at the family-friendly Playin' In The Plaza at Generations Plaza.

“Months of community input helped us craft a dynamic vision for our Downtown focused on Livability, Mobility, Prosperity and Sustainability,” said MDC Board Chairman Larry Lipschultz. “Now is the time for Downtown champions to step forward and collaborate to turn this vision into a reality and help Downtown evolve.”

If you live, work or play in Meridian your enthusiasm, interest and participation are welcome. For more information on the Destination Downtown initiative, visit www.destination-downtown.org or write info@destination-downtown.org.

What: Destination Downtown Kickoff Bash
When: Tuesday, August 3
5pm – 6pm
Where: The Ground Floor, 136 East Idaho Street, Meridian
Followed by Playin’ In The Plaza at Generations Plaza

Meridian Development Corporation
The Meridian Development Corporation is committed to the economic stimulation and expansion of Downtown Meridian into a thriving area that provides opportunities in which to live, work, and play. Renewal and redevelopment will be supported through strategic use of resources to create successful projects that will attract and serve the people of Meridian. A seven-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the Meridian Mayor and City Council governs MDC. For more information visit www.meridiandevelopmentcorp.com For information on the urban renewal master plan visit www.destination-downtown.org

Reader's View: You Can Help Champion Meridian's Future

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:51:00 GMT

Downtown Meridian is looking for champions - citizens with a passion for their community's core and the enthusiasm to put a vision into action for our future.

As American inventor Danny Hillis once said, "Do for the future what you're grateful the past did for you." Now is the time to act to define our future.

Meridian's downtown can already boast of an identity that embraces its heritage, is in tune with current trends and is well positioned for future opportunities. Defining characteristics include a combination of historic buildings and storefronts, a street grid system, an assortment of restaurants, culturally significant icons and structures, and distinctive districts and neighborhoods. Layered upon these physical characteristics are an ambiance of friendliness, a small-town feel and a sense of destination.

These elements are the foundation of a community-driven initiative to establish downtown Meridian as a premier destination, the heart of the community, home of local businesses and the hub of Treasure Valley enterprise, culture and social activities.

To achieve our shared goal of Meridian's downtown serving as a regional hub and commercial center, the Meridian Development Corp. initiated Destination: Downtown in 2009 to define a future vision and identify potential opportunities and strategies for strengthening downtown's role.

You may have heard of this initiative in relation to the Boise Hawks' interest in exploring a new stadium location. It was one example of community members speaking up about what they envision for their community's core, but it wasn't the only idea that stirred passionate input.

From mobility options to parking, from arts and entertainment to historic preservation - the bricks and mortar of a downtown were discussed along with the heart and soul.

Destination: Downtown was - and remains - an effort based squarely on a foundation of collaboration. A community-authored and community-implemented plan created by business owners, property owners, city leaders, downtown workers, homeowners and community leaders. Months of discussions, debates, brainstorming, research and refinement resulted in a vision and strategic plan to assist in developing a common frame of reference and sense of purpose as we shape downtown Meridian's future together.

As community input determined, the vision for downtown promotes: a pedestrian-friendly environment; downtown as a destination and convergence point; transit services and multiple transportation modes; mixed commercial activity; beautification and public art; diverse housing supply; availability of parking options; balanced retail environment; and integration and protection of existing businesses.

We believe the plan is based on sound, simple principles with an eye toward embracing opportunity. As the many stakeholders in the Downtown Vision combine these principles with their own unique talents and experience, downtown will continue to evolve in exciting ways.

To those who wish to play a role in bringing this downtown Meridian vision to reality, we enthusiastically welcome your participation. Downtowns are complex organisms, making the strategies to meld the best of Meridian's past with the possibilities of the future a collaborative effort involving sustained cooperation among many parties.

If you are interested in being a part of this great effort and being a stakeholder and advocate for downtown Meridian, we encourage you to visit our website to learn more and become a downtown champion.

Larry Lipschultz is chairman of the board of commissioners for the Meridian Development Corp., the urban renewal agency for Meridian.

(This Reader's View originally appeared in the Idaho Statesman editorial pages on June 17, 2010)

Get Involved

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:59:00 GMT

If this is your first time visiting Destination Downtown, thank you for your interest and taking the time to learn more about the master plan process for Downtown Meridian.

If this is your first time visiting Destination Downtown, thank you for your interest and taking the time to learn more about the master plan process for Downtown Meridian.

Take a look around. Review the previous months of blog posts and media coverage to learn more about the process that brought us here.

Be sure to visit the Documents page where you can access all of the work product from months of the process. The final Vision document and Implementing the VIsion detail where we go from here.

If you have a vested interest in the future of your Downtown, let us know. We are looking for downtown champions to get involved in implementing the vision focused on four key areas: Livability, Mobility, Prosperity and Sustainability.

Comment on this blog, participate in a forum, sign up for our newsletter, or send an email to us about your interest.

Thanks for your interest and involvement in crafting a future for Downtown Meridian!

City Council Presentation

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:07:00 GMT

A reminder for those interested in attending the Meridian Development Corporation's presentation of the Destination: Downtown process and resulting materials to the Meridian City Council and other interested City Departments and Committees.

The presentation is tonight April 6, starting at 5:30pm in Council Chambers.

The resulting documents from the Master Plan process are all available online
for your review, and include:
Executive Summary
The Vision
Implementing the Vision
Parking Analysis
Market Analysis

Feedback is welcome on all of the materials. If you are unable to attend tonight's meeting and you would like to schedule a presentation at another time for a community group or organization; or if you are interested in playing a role in implementing the vision, please let us know by writing to info@destination-downtown.org

Final Draft for Review: Vision Document

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:16:00 GMT

Destination: Downtown is a vision for Downtown Meridian for the next thirty years. This Vision Document illustrates the overall Vision for the future of downtown through images and text, and is accompanied by a Strategic Plan document, which identifies specific projects and implementation strategies for achieving that vision. Two other supporting documents, the Market Analysis and the Parking Analysis, offer background and more detail on specific findings and recommendations.

The Downtown Vision is primarily focused on creating a mixed-use urban environment. To this end, a number of character districts are proposed within the Urban Renewal Area (URA) boundary. These character districts describe more of the dominant activity and are not zoning or land use designations. The districts describe dominant uses, building types, roadway characteristics, etc.

On March 2, the Meridian Development Corporation held a special meeting to review and provide feedback on the Final Draft Vision document. Among the points they addressed:

Identifying the Champions that will help support and execute on the identified priority projects.
Developing a 'Road Show' to present the Destination: Downtown plan to the community through service groups, organizations, community groups, etc.
Continuing with outreach surrounding the execution of the various Destination: Downtown strategic plan elements.
Desire for more details in the Market Analysis component of the documents, with comparisons to markets throughout the Valley, Identifying small business-based programs and national best practices.
If Meridian were to have an Entertainment District and/or Sports Complex, what types of businesses would that attract?
How are we going to incentivize people to be Champions, leaders of the implementation process focused on the areas of Livability, Mobility, Sustainability, Prosperity.
The Strategic Plan document needs to have more certainty, a structure in place - a road map.
Need for a presentation of the plan to the Meridian City Council by CRSA & MDC representatives - inviting various Departments and Commissions to the meeting/workshop for participation and input.
Discussion of an Open House format for organizations, commissions, departments to come in and look at finalized plan and interact with planners and MDC Board.

Final Draft for Review: Parking Analysis

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:59:00 GMT

The Parking Analysis is an overview of the Downtown Meridian existing parking conditions, potential parking opportunities, and short-term and long-term recommendations for downtown parking.

Final Draft for Review: Market Analysis

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:56:00 GMT

The Market Analysis is divided into three sections -

Section One looks at the Meridian Downtown market area and presents key economic and demographic information for 2009 and projects key data to 2014.

Section Two examines the key Meridian Downtown market potential and seeks to answer the
following key questions:

What is the market potential of the Meridian Downtown?
Why?

Section Three examines the key Meridian Downtown market potential and seeks to answer the
following key questions:
Who could or should be establishing a business in the Meridian Downtown?
Why would they want to establish a business in the Meridian Downtown?
How the Meridian Downtown area:
o Is different from what they will experience from anyone else,
o Is different from what they already have, and
o Is something that their customers will value, and
What is keeping them from establishing a business in the Meridian Downtown?

Final Draft for Review: Strategic Plan

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:12:00 GMT

The Destination: Downtown Strategic Plan accompanies the Vision Document and identifies specific projects and implementation strategies for achieving that vision.

The Strategic Plan details vision statements and focus areas under the categories of: Livability, Mobility, Prosperity & Sustainability. For each focus area there are multiple prioritized projects with detailed Objectives, Stakeholders, Implementation & Action Items.

Feedback on Final Draft Documents Needed by March 3

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:45:00 GMT

After months of analysis and stakeholder input, the Destination Downtown process is in the home stretch. The Finalized Draft documents are now available for your review and feedback on the Destination Downtown site in the Documents section.

In that section you will find four separate pieces to review:

Please send comments and feedback through any of the following ways by March 3:

Email info@destination-downtown.org
Fill out online form
Post a comment to the applicable blog posts
Post a comment to the applicable forum

Thanks for your time, enthusiasm and input to define a desired future vision for Downtown Meridian.

February Meetings Showcase Draft Vision Documents

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:42:00 GMT

As the extended stakeholder meeting gets underway - discussion is focusing on the Market Analysis Findings and the Destination Downtown Scenarios - particularly what is being proposed in Scenario 4.

Concerns are being raised about preservation, impact on local businesses, inclusion of senior citizens, and architecture that stays true to existing historical buildings.

The overall draft Vision Document (photos below) is being passed around for direct feedback. The full document will be available on this site on February 24.

February Meetings

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:15:00 GMT

From the beginning of Destination Downtown, Meridian's master planning process for its downtown core, the community’s voice has played a vital role. The process - and ultimately the outcome - is only as good as the input, ideas, opinions and vision that shape it.

The Destination Downtown meetings on February 17 are a key time for garnering that input. The planners have produced multiple draft documents that incorporate analysis and the community input they have received so far. Now is the time for the community to:

Provide direction and feedback on the draft documents
Select a proposed scenario for Downtown Meridian
Provide direction on marketing and economic development strategies

Because of the amount of feedback sought, and the number of draft documents to discuss, the February Stakeholder Meeting and Public Open House will have extended formats.

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, February 17
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Meridian Development Corporation Board Workshop
2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Stakeholder Meeting

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Public Open House
Location: 703 North Main Street
We look forward to your involvement in these meetings, or through feedback emails, forum topics, or blog comments on Destination-Downtown.org.

Destination Downtown Scenario 4

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:37:00 GMT

Following feedback and input from community stakeholders in January on a series of proposed scenarios for Downtown, planners developed a fourth scenario which incorporates elements from the original three.

Project Prioritization

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:30:00 GMT

During the January Stakeholder meeting, participants were asked to help prioritize the products proposed within the four different focus areas for Downtown.

Within the four areas - top projects were identified by the grouping of points per category

Mobility
- Plan for multi-modal transportation hub
- Improve the walkability of downtown
- Provide connected public transit

Livability
- Create more places for community gathering and entertainment
- Negotiate a long-term lease for use of the Union Pacific property in the core of downtown
- Locate a sports facility or stadium in downtown
- Celebrate and promote local history and heritage
Prosperity
- Integrate existing businesses into the fabric of downtown as the area experiences new investment and growth, while protecting their ability to operate
- Develop a catalyst project on The Hub parcel
- Improve the diversity of business activity and retail vitality
Sustainability
- Promote and expand the number of cultural events in the community
- Develop a greenbelt pathway network throughout Meridian

For the full list of projects submitted by the community in each focus area, and the prioritization, visit the Documents page.

Review Draft Scenarios

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:15:00 GMT

The January Stakeholder Meeting is kicking off with an overview of the three different Destination Downtown Scenarios. All of these scenarios are available under the document tab of this site.

Scenario 1 Characteristics

Larger districts with less segmentation (6) to provide more flexibility: Northern Gateway, Downtown Core, Neighborhood Preservation Areas, Hospitality/Entertainment District, Employment District/Southern Gateway
Consolidated parking areas in large lots or structures
Consistent streetscape design

Scenario 2 Characteristics

Celebrate the abrupt edges and unique aspects of Downtown by breaking up Downtown into multiple smaller districts: Northern Gateway, Washington & Main, Neighborhood Preservation Areas, Traditional City Core, Transit District, Warehouse District, Large Scale Regional Center, Southern Gateway Entertainment & Hospitality District, Multiple Employment Districts.
Parking more dispersed through downtown - lots of on-street parking and smaller lots behind buildings.
Distinct streetscape elements for each district

Scenario 3 Characteristics

Composite of Scenarios 1&2
Takes smaller district ideas of the northern half of Scenario 2 (north of the railroad corridor) and consolidates area south of Franklin into one larger area - Entertainment/Hospitality/Sports District as part of the Southern Gateway
Parking clustered in large parking areas throughout

Feedback from the Stakeholder Group on the above scenarios:

Parking south of City Hall may not work
Bringing the ball field downtown can help provide parking and stimulate growth downtown
Commercial design guidelines and regulations needed for large business park areas.
We don't need any more business parks and don't want to see that at the Southern Gateway district - maybe some other transition type zone - a ball field?
Regarding a warehouse district - we don't really have enough buildings to work with currently.
We need to incorporate the flood plain issues in any development we propose.
Parking and easy in & out works best for ball fields - either scenario of location would work for the Hawks leadership
A lot seems to hinge on the mobility question regarding public transportation and light rail along the railroad corridor
Opportunity for a downtown/neighborhood grocery
What about professional office space near the freeway? Central Valley Business Park?
Like the southern half of Scenario 3 and the northern half of Scenario 1
Don't like Scenario 2 for its plan south of Franklin
If you have too many consolidated lots far away then the older population will have a tougher time getting to businesses

No consensus reached on what Scenario was most favored, but two options emerged and the stakeholders plan to revisit them Option 1: Combine Northern half of Scenario 1 + Southern half of Scenario 3
Option 2: Scenario 3