As the agency tasked with fostering urban renewal in Idaho’s second-largest city, the Meridian Development Corporation (MDC) crafted its first Destination Downtown roadmap in 2010.
“Meridian, like many communities, was impacted by the Great Recession,” said Ashley Ford-Squyres, administrator of the MDC. “The Village at Meridian, at Eagle and Fairview, began construction around this time. Both impacted downtown Meridian greatly and efforts to entice redevelopment efforts were stymied for several years.”
Instead, the city and MDC chose to focus on “low-hanging fruit” like addressing gaps in sidewalk infrastructure, coming up with a “brand” for downtown and crafting a wayfinding and signage plan. These made up the goals of the original Destination Downtown document…