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Meridian City Council sends Linder Village development plan back to P&Z

It has been a white-hot topic in Meridian as the city wrestles with managing growth.

The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to send a contentious development project back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further review.

The decision came at midnight Wednesday after hours of testimony.

The project has been a white-hot topic in Meridian as the city wrestles with managing growth.

Developers looking to build a WinCo and adjoining a massive residential and commercial development presented their updated plan to the Meridian City Council Tuesday night.

This meeting followed months of back and forth; the Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial in October, a revised version went to the City Council in November but then the council pushed the hearing to Tuesday.

The city council members' decision will allow the developers to work further with ITD and ACHD on Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road access points before moving forward with the project.

Developers seek to build the mixed-used commercial and residential development anchored by WinCo on a vast field on Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road.

MORE: P&Z denies plan for new WinCo at Chinden and Linder

Neighbors raised a lot of concerns and questions at the P&Z hearing in November.

The developers - DMG Real Estate Partners and Lynx Investments - say they addressed those concerns by making a number of changes to the plan. Many people, including city council members, agree it looks better now.

"The changes that were made to the site were made as a result primarily of issues and concerns raised at the City Council meeting that were raised by the public. And we have addressed those concerns," the developer's attorney, Ken Howell, told the council.

But most residents who testified on Tuesday night say a lot of their issues with the project still stand - such as increased traffic and safety issues on Chinden and Linder, access and connectivity, buffering, and WinCo’s 24-hour store operations right next to homes.

"I want it on the record that we are pro-development, that we are pro-business, that we do want to see the services come to our community. Now on that note, does Meridian need WinCo on this corner? As you sifted through thousands of emails you’ve probably seen varying opinions," nearby resident and representative for citizen group Smart Growth for Meridian, Sally Reynolds, told council. "The development on this corner will impact a large number of Meridian residents who have waited patiently for seven months and we followed the proper public process to express valid concerns. These concerns were submitted to the city with factual data and qualitative data."

Those in support say they’re excited about having a WinCo and additional shopping options and services closer to home.

The developer proposed road widening on Chinden, or Highway 20/26, and signal improvements as part of the development, which would expedite Idaho Transportation Department improvements on Highway 20/26.

Part of the reason the hearing was continued to Tuesday was so the developer could meet with ACHD and ITD, get updated traffic counts and submit an updated traffic impact study to ACHD.

But as of Tuesday, that updated study had not been submitted yet.

The City Council had a few options Tuesday: They could approve, deny, send back to Planning and Zoning or continue this proposal to another date.

A lot of residents told council they would like the project to be sent back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for their input - meaning they would have to go through this public hearing process again.

You can also view the Jan. 16,2018 Meridian City Council meeting live stream here.

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