01 Union 93 East, CZC, NARRATIVE, EAST BLDG1 | Page
TO: Community Development; Planning Department
33 E Broadway Avenue, Meridian, Idaho 83642
ATTENTION: Planning Staff
PROJECT: Union 93 (Formally Meridian Station)
REGARDING: CZC Application Narrative for UNION 93-East Building
PAST APPROVALS: Conditional Use Permit, May 19, 2020
NARRATIVE:
East Broadway Investment Company (“EBIC”)—a single-purpose entity controlled by Galena Opportunity
Inc.—is proposing to construct two apartment buildings at Broadway Avenue and 3rd. The proposed East
Building will be 7 stories tall, with 3 levels of parking and 4 levels of modular apartments above. It will sit
40 feet east of the West Building, approximately 65 feet south of Broadway Avenue and 20 feet west of
3rd Street. The proposed building has a footprint of approximately 64,000 square feet and gross square
footage of 368,000.
Balancing Meridian’s rich history and vibrant future, Union 93 strives to infuse Meridian’s commercial
core with energy. At 90 feet in height, the overall scale of this pair of buildings marks a new era of
increased density in downtown Meridian. In crafting the architecture, great care has been taken to
respect the surrounding existing urban fabric while still being honest to this project’s scale and civic
presence. The East and West Buildings are configured with north-facing courtyards, with an additional
east-facing courtyard in the East Building opening to 3rd Street. This orientation provides a solid/void
massing rhythm in the street-facing façades. This serves to break the buildings down into smaller-scale
components with a series of articulated volumes, reinforced by materiality. The north-facing façades are
scaled to more appropriately interface with the existing urban fabric. With the Broadway-facing
courtyards, additional synergy is created between the semi-private outdoor residential zones and the
street-level activities and festivities.
Furthering the project’s integration with downtown Meridian, as the buildings meet the ground, the
design creates a building base that is a welcoming destination for residents and supports local business.
With various steps, the buildings create a dynamic set of inside/outside spaces on all sides. Retail spaces
front the entirety of the ground floor along Broadway and the associated plaza on the site, bolstering
and enhancing downtown’s street vibrance.
The Treasure Valley’s climate provides year-round opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. A key factor in
this, however, is shelter and shade from the hot summer sun. The architecture of Union 93 creates
shade and shadow, providing respite and protection from the high summer temperatures. The
elongated courtyards and the north-south axis of the mews provide just such environments. The
articulation of the building facades further enhances this notion of protection, with alternating recessed
bays and the expressed grid frame elements. The grid frame on the upper floors and the relief and
texture of the brick screens and pilasters at the building bases provide shading to all façades.
Additionally, the expressed grid framework provides a direct architectural correlation to some of Old
Town’s most historic structures.
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As a new project knit into an existing urban fabric – particularly one primarily used for housing, the
details and warmth of materials should provide a sense of “coming home.” Brick is a key component of
Old Town architecture, and it is found around the entire base of both buildings in this project. Brick is
durable, but it also has a textural and human scale. The project proposes using Norman brick, which is
slightly longer than the more prolific Modular brick. The brick is complemented by panelized cladding.
The material tones, while somewhat muted, are generally warm and are typically drawn from the
existing surrounding context. Most importantly, it is the variations in colors that resonate. They serve to
break down the scale of the buildings, but the variations also create a sense of playfulness and urban
placemaking.
Overall, the project integrates the spirit and intent of the City of Meridian Architectural Standards
Manual. In most areas, the design is in full compliance with the requirements. In a handful of instances,
the project makes an intentional departure, seeking to simplify what might otherwise be, for example,
overabundant parapet height variations for buildings of this scale. The overall architectural form and
expression provide variation and modulation that keeps with the spirit of Old Town while still being of
the present day.
At 368,208 gross square feet, the seven-story East Building comprises three parking levels, with four
levels of apartments above. The building consists of two separated primary occupancies: an S-2
“Parking Garage” on the first two floors and R-2 “Residential Apartments” above on floors four through
seven. The S-2 component is of Type IA construction and contains 450 parking spaces within 346
parking stalls (a mixture of standard and autostacker mechanical parking stalls) and 184 residential
bicycle parking stalls. Additional Occupancy Groups (B; R-2; S) on the lower levels include retail spaces
along the entire Broadway- and plaza-facing sides of the ground floor, amenity spaces along the western
side of the ground floor, trash and mechanical spaces, resident bicycle, and unit storage. The upper
residential floors of the building contain 184 apartments of Type IIIA construction. The apartment mix is
made of 59 Studios, 69 1-Bedroom units, and 56 2-Bedroom units arranged in a pair of “U”-shaped
configurations. In the open area of each U is a courtyard with outdoor resident amenity spaces. The
north-facing courtyard overlooks Broadway and has a resident Lodge amenity room (Occupancy Group
A) anchoring the opposite end of the U. The east-facing courtyard overlooks 3rd Street. On the seventh
floor, another resident amenity space includes an outdoor roof deck overlooking the plaza and
downtown Meridian, with views to the distant foothills. The East Building is separated from the West
Building by a landscaped mews.
The main entrance into the East Building will be from 3rd Street, about halfway down the easterly
property line. There will also be access from the West Building, which has an entrance on Broadway
Avenue about halfway between Main Street and where 2nd Street terminates.
A retail supportive plaza with similar seating elements and planting serves as a continuation of the West
Plaza and streetscape. A ‘Mews’ between the buildings connects residential lobbies and parking via a
central walkway with entry plazas. Porous pavers, riparian planting with groves of River Birch, and
stormwater infiltration create a sense of immersion. Cultivars of Willows and Dogwoods in small
thickets provide year-round interest and culminate in gathering spaces that front and connect to the
trail within rail multi-use path.
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The streetscape, landscape, and outdoor spaces for the project create a connected network of amenities
that beautify and activate the public realm while enhancing livability for downtown residents. Emersed
in planting typologies of the region – High Desert, Foothills and Boise River – the landscape connects
people to place and the natural beauty of the Treasure Valley.
The main trash and recycling storage room will be in the West Building, and it will have a roll-up door to
the access drive. Trash and recycling will be wheeled into the pickup area by Republic Storage. Trash and
recycling from the East Building will be hauled to the West Building storage room daily or every two
days.
Should there be any questions or need anything further to consider this application, please feel free to
contact the Owner’s representative, Mike Chidester, at 208.871.6844.