Home Depot permit process moves forward for former site of Kmart
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

Thousand Oaks resident Nino DeFranco wants everyone to know that Home Depot is still seeking to open up shop on the Hampshire Road site of the former Kmart.

"No one in the area really knows much about what's going on," DeFranco said. "It seems like the city is keeping it secret."

Home Depot did complete the pre-application process with the city, filing a formal application on March 2, according to senior planner Lori Young.

A city staff review outlined several concerns with the company's proposal, including the project's compatibility with the neighborhood, grading issues with the steep angle of the property, architectural challenges and the increase in vehicles the store would attract. A traffic study is being conducted.

"The company is coming up with responses to staff's concerns," Young said.

Once the application has been completed, the proposal will come before the planning commission. As part of the city's notification process, all residents within 500 feet of the project will receive mailed notification two weeks before the hearing. Also two weeks in advance, a sign at the site will advertise the hearing, according to Young. She isn't sure when the hearing will be scheduled but says it won't be before the city's summer recess in August.

The company declined to comment except to confirm that it had filed an application with the city.

"It's too early in the process to talk about it," said Romelia Edwards, a public relations specialist with Home Depot's Western Division in Orange.

Home Depot took over the property lease after Kmart closed the Hampshire Road store two years ago as part of a company restructuring that shut 33 other stores statewide. The company has said it would like to demolish both the building that housed Kmart as well as the attached strip of stores. The existing Burger King and Shell gas station are separate parcels and aren't included in the lease.

Situated on a 4-acre site, the larger building that housed Kmart is 100,000 square feet; the strip of stores is 10,000 square feet.

The average Home Depot is 140,000 square feet, not including parking and loading areas. The company has indicated it would be willing to build a smaller store to accommodate the restrictions of the property.

DeFranco is concerned that a Home Depot of any size will change the character of the neighborhood. He worries about the noise a Home Depot would attract from forklifts and trucks and about increased traffic and crime.

"The whole area will look like a construction site," DeFranco said.

He loved the village-like atmosphere of the neighborhood when he moved from Sherman Oaks to Village Homes off Hampshire and Triunfo 15 years ago. He and his wife used to enjoy walking to the strip of stores adjacent to the former Kmart that included a convenience store, a bakery and a coffee shop.

"This is an example of big business bullying instead of thinking about what's right for the neighborhood," DeFranco said. "We're always hoping for the best-that our city will do what's right."

He points to the gas station that sits on southeast corner of the proposed Home Depot site as an example of a botched project. He complains that the overhang above the gas pumps is way too high, something that would be more appropriate in a major city.

"It takes away the mountain view," DeFranco said. "What city planner worked on that project? It makes you wonder."