Apartment City

Buy Photo St. George City officials discuss zoning changes in anticipation for a proposed office park at the current Ridgetop Complex Wednesday , Dec. 16, 2015. (Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News) Buy Photo Suspended high above St. George’s urban center,  hiding in plain sight atop a mesa, is some of highest-value real estate in one of the county’s fastest-growing cities. For the better part of seven years, it mostly lay empty. The “ Ridgetop Complex ,” as it has formally been known since 2011 when the city relocated its airport, stretches for more than a mile north-to-south, carrying 155 acres of developable flat land with unencumbered viewscapes along the land that once carried the runway. Once pegged for pricey cliffside homes , schools, shops and all the trappings of a premium mixed-use neighborhood, it has instead been limited in recent years to the occasional hobby race , concert or other event that requires a large open space . It’s sometimes used by law...

Bruce Chatterton moved to Meridian from Boise more than four years ago. The “room to grow” that is Meridian’s essence made him want to live and work there. Now the city’s community development director , Chatterton says it’s also been “fun seeing a small, somewhat quiet downtown become a place people want to hang out.” Meridian still has plenty of room to spread out, and that’s good, because its population is booming. It was the 13th-fastest-growing city in the U.S. last year. And it’s not just about Meridian. The growth is changing the whole Treasure Valley , affecting traffic, housing, health care, education and retail. The 2016 U.S. Census estimates put Meridian ’s population at nearly 96,000. The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (Compass) estimates today ’s population at just more than 98,000. That’s a tenfold jump since 1990.   The growth seems unlikely to look to slow anytime soon, says Compass planner and demographics specialist Carl Miller , who lives in Meri...