MERIDIAN, Idaho — The rapidly-growing city of Meridian will soon have some new downtown living space.
City Center Redevelopment broke ground Monday afternoon on the Old Town Lofts project - two four-story buildings that will go up at the corners of Main Street and Broadway Avenue and Meridian Road and Idaho Avenue.
The lofts will have 15,000 square feet of commercial, retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, and a total of more than 100 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors.
The site of the Old Town Lofts project was owned by Meridian Development Corporation, the city's urban renewal agency, which turned the buildings over to City Center Redevelopment - a joint venture between The Pacific Companies and NovembreWhiskey - in a competitive proposal process.
"We are excited to help shape the future of downtown Meridian," NovembreWhiskey CEO Josh Evarts said in a statement. "Old Town Lofts will bring new businesses into downtown and create opportunities for families and young professionals to live in the heart of our city. We do not want people to leave downtown at the end of the day and we believe Old Town Lofts, and the new energy it will bring, will give people a reason to stay."
According to Meridian Development Corporation, talks have already started with several businesses who are interested in leasing space in the new buildings.
Officials say two of the apartments in the new buildings will be dedicated to Our Path Home, a local partnership between nonprofits and government agencies working to end the housing crisis in Ada County.
Construction on the project is set to be complete by October 2020.