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Happy Thursday, Meridian!
Welcome to issue ninety-one. Today is sunny and around 70 after a foggy, 38-degree start, so wear the layers and plan to peel one off by lunch. Friday looks even warmer, in the mid to upper 70s.
Today: the City Council hits pause on Syringa Crossing, a big plan next to the new Costco, a taekwondo studio and five more shops near the YMCA, and our Thursday Local Business Spotlight, a Basque restaurant on N. Main. Know someone who should be reading this? Forward them the sign-up link →
Let's get into it.
In this issue
🧠 Trivia: The proposed Syringa Crossing shares its name with Idaho's state flower. What is that plant better known as: mock orange, bitterroot, or camas?
(Answer at the bottom.)
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Five picks, all with a Meridian address. Tonight's usual suspects and Friday's football already had their turn this week, so this list leans toward the weekend and next week.
Thursday, October 15
OCT 15 · Planning & Zoning hearing: Starling Ridge Subdivision — time not posted · 📍 Meridian City Hall, 33 E. Broadway Ave. (the usual meeting spot; confirm) · The commission takes up an annexation of 61.34 acres about a half mile south of E. Lake Hazel Rd., plus a preliminary plat with 211 building lots, continued from July 16. The city's notice doesn't list a start time or room. P&Z normally meets the first and third Thursdays at 6 p.m., so call the Planning Division to confirm. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 17
OCT 17 · Homedale at Cole Valley Christian football — 7 p.m. · 📍 Cole Valley Christian Schools, 200 E. Carlton Ave. · A conference game on the Cole Valley field. The time and matchup come from an unofficial event listing, not the school, so check before you drive over. Ticket price wasn't listed. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, October 18
OCT 18 · Truck-or-Treat — 1 p.m. · 📍 Sonic Drive-In, 2160 E. Fairview Ave. · Bring your ride, your kids and the candy. Trophies go to best dressed truck, car, adult, kid and pet. The end time and cost weren't listed. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 24
OCT 24 · Trunk or Treat at Friendship Celebration Lutheran — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. · 📍 765 E. Chinden Blvd. · Free for the whole family: a candy trail, games, face painting, and hot chili and hot dogs. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, October 25
OCT 25 · Trunk or Treat at Christ Lutheran Church — 1 to 4 p.m. · 📍 1406 W. Cherry Ln. · A face painter from 1:30 to 3:30, a bounce house, and a lunch menu of hamburgers ($3), cheeseburgers ($3.50) and hot dogs ($2.50). There's still room for a few more trunks if your church or club wants one. · 📅 Add to Calendar
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No weather alerts for Meridian. The National Weather Service in Boise has patchy fog early, so give yourself an extra minute on the morning commute.
Thursday, October 15 — Meridian
70°
Low tonight: 41°. Sunrise is at 7:58 a.m., sunset at 7:04 p.m.
Sunny, with patchy fog before 9 a.m. after an overnight low near 38. Idaho News 6's live Boise strip also says 70 and sunny, so the two sources agree. Plan for the 70s and a clear, mild evening.
The rest of the week (NWS): Friday is sunny and breezy from the south-southeast with a high near 75 (Idaho News 6 says 77 in Boise, so plan for the upper end), Saturday reaches about 76, and Sunday is near 72 with patchy morning fog. There's a 20% chance of showers Tuesday night into Wednesday. Trunk-or-treat weather, basically.
Syringa Crossing waits until Dec. 1 so neighbors can weigh in
The Meridian City Council hit pause Tuesday night on Syringa Crossing, the proposed development on a vacant parcel in south Meridian near Meridian and Amity roads, according to KIVI. The developers asked for more time to meet directly with neighbors, residents backed the request, and the council voted unanimously to reschedule the hearing for Dec. 1. Earlier BoiseDev reporting described the project as 55 acres with a grocery anchor and up to 400 homes.
Neighbors worry about privacy for the homes along the site, traffic, noise and property values, and many said they hadn't heard about the plans at all. Stapleton subdivision resident Sandra Griffith, who lives next door, canvassed the neighborhood's 200-plus homes and gathered nearly 200 petition signatures in a day. The council agreed to widen notification, including signs near the site. Read more →
Source: KIVI Idaho News 6, published Oct. 14.
Quick poll while we're on Syringa:
Meridian's council pushed the Syringa Crossing decision to Dec. 1 so neighbors can weigh in. What do you make of the delay?
A plan beside the new Costco would add up to 640 homes
Brighton Corp. wants to amend its development agreement for the southeast corner of Meridian Rd. and Lake Hazel Rd., the site once pitched for a Costco, offices and retail, according to BoiseDev. The project, formerly called Apex Zenith and now renamed Momentum, would rezone 19 acres for higher-density "garden-style" apartments, while about 38 acres stay medium-high density for townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes. City staff documents put the total at 400 multifamily units and 240 single-family homes, roughly 640.
Another 8.2 acres now zoned for housing would flip to commercial, leaving 63.5 acres of retail, 23.5 acres of office and 38 acres of residential. The hearing has been pushed to Nov. 5; the article doesn't say which body will hear it, and more details are due in future applications. Read more →
Source: BoiseDev, published Oct. 14.
A taekwondo studio and five more shops planned by the YMCA
Permits are filed for a 10,800-square-foot building at 4823 S. Tavistock Ave., near the Tomlinson South Meridian YMCA just off Amity Rd., BoiseDev reports. Property records link the land to YONG-IN Master Lee's Taekwondo, which would take a 3,640-square-foot studio. The company already has locations on Apple St. in Southeast Boise and at Eagle Rd. and McMillan Rd.
Five other spaces of about 1,400 to 1,456 square feet each are planned for retail and commercial users, and no tenants have been named. Ziggi's Coffee and Mystic Realm Escape Rooms have also claimed land around the YMCA, and three other buildings are under construction nearby. No opening dates were given. Read more →
Source: BoiseDev, published Oct. 12.
Local Business Spotlight
Featured restaurant: Epi's A Basque Restaurant
Overview. Epi's has been serving traditional Basque dinners in downtown Meridian since 1999, and it's family-owned. According to a 2017 profile, it's named for the founders' grandmother, Epifania, who left the Basque coast in 1929. If you've never had Basque food, a dinner here is a very good way to start.
Highlights
Dinners typically come with soup and salad, per reviewers, and the entrées lean hearty and family-style.
Recent diners have raved about the clam chowder, the citrus-crusted halibut and the red bean soup.
Reviewers also call out the Basque peppers, lamb, chorizo, croquettes and paella.
It's rated 4.8 out of 5 on both OpenTable (98 reviews) and Tripadvisor (373 reviews), where it ranks No. 2 among Meridian restaurants.
It also does catering and private events.
Ambiance & Experience. Small, homey and a little loud when it's full, with staff that reviewers praise by name. Diners often mention special occasions, so book ahead.
Location & Contact
📍 1115 N. Main St., Meridian, ID 83642
📞 (208) 884-0142
Operating Hours. OpenTable lists Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5 to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday and Monday aren't listed. It's a small dining room and one reviewer says online reservations through Google don't work for them, so call ahead to check hours and book a table.
Final course: Order the soup, save room for the dessert reviewers call "large," and plan on leftovers. Visit Epi's →
This feature is free editorial. The Spotlight slot is also open to sponsors, so if you own a Meridian business, hit reply or start here →
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🧠 Trivia answer: Mock orange.
The syringa, Idaho's state flower since 1931, is a shrub in the mock orange family (Philadelphus lewisii), and its white, citrus-scented blooms show up in June. The species name honors Meriwether Lewis, and the shrub grows wild across much of the state. That's the name on Syringa Crossing, the project the council just put on hold. Read more →
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