The Meridian City Council capped its year by green-lighting two more large residential developments in its final 2024 meeting.
The planned developments will add a combined 683 single-family homes to two Meridian neighborhoods along some familiar roadways.
In northwest Meridian, the Baratza subdivision is planned at the southeast corner of Black Cat and McMillan roads.
The 80-acre, “homestead”-style subdivision with 344 single-family homes has gone through multiple iterations and has been met with concerns over density, traffic impacts and school overcrowding at each step.
An original proposal, called the James Ranch subdivision, was denied by the City Council in 2022, and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the plan for the Baratza subdivision just two months ago — to cheers from neighbors .
So what did it take for Lennar, the Miami-based developers at the helm of the project, to get the council’s OK this time?
City planners presenting at the public hearing this past Tuesday said Lennar worked with them to comply with 17 conditions of approval, including providing a “mix of dwelling types.”