Council approves large project with hundreds of homes ‘mini main street’ on Nampa/Meridian border
Dirt can soon start turning in one of Meridian’s last areas of growth.
As BoiseDev reported, The Fields is a 480-acre master planned community proposed for the land between Can Ada Rd. and Owyhee Storm Ave., and McMillian Rd. and Ustick Rd., near the border of Nampa and Meridian. It’s planned to be built out in multiple sections spanning several years.
The developer went before the city council on Tuesday seeking to annex all 480 acres into the City of Meridian and get a preliminary plat for Westveil, a 200-acre development within the project, approved. Plans for Westveil include space for 901 homes built out in seven different phases.
In addition to the single-family homes and townhomes of Westveil, plans for the overall Fields project call for apartments, industrial land, a 40-acre park, and two retail areas. One of the retail areas, McMillian Marketplace, is planned to be a sort of “mini main street” for the area.
Concept map for The Fields. Map: Courtesy Mark Bottles Real EstateMark Bottles representative Emily Mueller told Council Member Brian Whitlock The Fields’ signature component will be that people there will feel that it is its own distinct community. Mueller likened it to East Boise, where she said people feel like they are in their own separate section of town.
Meridian City Council approved the application on a unanimous vote.
Council Member Luke Cavener said that while he normally struggles with big projects that will have large impacts on roads and schools, the plan for The Fields satisfied his concerns.
“The longevity of this project, the master plan of it, gives me great confidence. Again, you’re planting a flag in this area for the school district and for the highway district. This has been a long-time project,” Cavener said. “I want to commend the entire team for really working diligently to look at this from all different angles, not just from the city. I just think that this is going to be a really unique part of our community, and I just want to thank you for that truly.”
This isn’t the last time The Fields will come before Meridian’s City Council. As BoiseDev reported, each time the developer, Mark Bottles Real Estate, wants to build out a new portion of the property, they will have to submit a development agreement modification in addition to a preliminary plat.
Council Member Liz Strader asked Mueller when they could see other portions of the project come online. Mueller said she didn’t know for certain, but predicted that the Owyhee Center commercial area would come before the council in one to two years, and the McMillian Marketplace could follow approximately one year after that.