A few years ago there were some rumblings about a Costco potentially making its way to Meridian. At a town hall in Meridian Wednesday night, we found out that those initial talks with Costco developers have resulted in real interest.
A Costco potentially being built at the intersection of Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road was one of the first topics to come up at the meeting. Meridian Community Development Director Bruce Chatterton says there aren't really any concrete answers at this time.
He does say, however, that they have been in communication with Costco developers and there is definite interest in this particular intersection as well as other sites in this general area.
There is already a Costco in Boise as well as in Nampa, and although Chatterton says he cannot speak for retailers, he does say that a Costco in this area would fill a gap and give residents access to a more convenient location.
With this potential project, there are some concerns from locals who travel on Chinden Boulevard frequently.
"Chinden is already kind of a real mess traffic-wise being a two-lane road," said Meridian resident Mark Russell. "It's very hard to get into and out of Boise and the Eagle Road area. I would hope they would be able to widen Chinden to at least four lanes, or more ins and outs than they do now - especially from Linder going east back into the Boise, Eagle Road area."
"Our mayor is supportive of an overall improvement to the Chinden corridor, so that has to continue to be a part of the discussion. On the other hand it's a major intersection and it's an interesting and appropriate place for retail."
Two of the main topics of the town hall were development projects like the potential Costco site as well as transportation issues. Chatterton says the two go hand in hand as Meridian continues to grow.
Again, Chatterton says there hasn't been an application filed at this time, so there isn't a construction schedule.