Council approves rezoning to bring Meridian Food Bank into compliance and allow expansion for student weekend meals

The Meridian City Council approved a rezoning request (file H2024‑0065) on March 4 to change a 1.72‑acre site at 616 Northwest Second Street from Light Industrial (IL) to Old Town zoning. Staff told council the rezoning will remove the food bank’s nonconforming status and allow future expansions without conditional‑use permitting.

Nick (city staff) explained the primary purpose is to allow the Meridian Food Bank to expand a work area used to assemble and store weekend food packs for West Ada School District students. The food bank operates Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 12 p.m.–4 p.m.; volunteers and the board reported the number of weekend packs has grown sharply since 2023 and the food bank needs roughly 940 additional square feet for assembly and storage to meet demand.

Gil Green, chairman of the Meridian Food Bank board, told council the nonprofit is volunteer‑run; recent months saw more than 2,000 visitors per month to the pantry, and weekly backpack pack totals have risen toward and above roughly 900 packs on some weeks. He said the food bank had identified adjacent space and that a modest wall and expansion would consolidate staging and storage in one functional area.

Council discussion was supportive. Councilwoman Strader praised the food bank and Councilman Taylor recounted organizing food contributions and encouraged community support. After a motion and second, council voted unanimously in favor; councilmembers recorded in the roll call included Cavanagh, Little Roberts, Taylor, Overton, Strader and Whitlock.

Ending: The rezoning allows the food bank to expand assembly and storage for student food packs. Staff and council noted the nonprofit’s volunteers and community partners supply operations; the city will monitor required landscape thresholds as phased expansions occur under UDC 11.3.B.2.