Credit union buying Farmstead maze, pumpkin patch property

MERIDIAN, Idaho (Idaho Press) — Idaho Central Credit Union bought 50 acres that for years have been home to the Farmstead Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival in Meridian.

The credit union plans to build a regional mortgage and call center on the lot, off Interstate 84 at the Eagle Road exit, spokeswoman Laura Smith said. The Idaho Business Review reported the land purchase Monday.

Corn maze fans can rest easy, though. Farmstead owners Jim and Hillary Lowe own or operate hundreds of acres of farmland in the Treasure Valley and plan to keep the annual festival and corn maze alive, even when the operation has to move. The Farmstead will stay where it is for the 2018 season, which starts Sept. 21, Hillary Lowe said.

Idaho Central Credit Union, based in Chubbuck, has grown in the Treasure Valley and was attracted to this property's prime location, Smith said. She did not have details on the construction timeline or how many new jobs the expansion would create.

The Farmstead has spent the majority of its time since opening in 1997 at its current location. From 2006 to 2009, the Farmstead operated in South Meridian because organizers were informed the I-84 lot would be developed into a soccer field, Lowe said. That plan fell through, and the Farmstead moved back in 2010, she said.

“The land has been under contract several times so we don’t want to jump the gun because we don’t know what will happen,” Lowe said.

Idaho Elks Rehab Hospital bought the nearly 52-acre property in January 1997 from several landowners, said Markey Deroest, land record technician for the Ada County Assessor's Office. As of Tuesday, the assessor's office does not have record of Idaho Central Credit Union's purchase of the land, Deroest said.

The deal was finalized last week, said John Burke, general council for Idaho Elks Rehab Hospital. Burke could not comment on details of the deal.

Lowe said the festival takes up all 50 acres and wherever the festival moves, they plan to settle somewhere just as big or bigger so the festival can expand its offerings.

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