Home Depot files new plans for T.O.

The former Kmart store at 325 Hampshire Road in Thousand Oaks will be demolished and replaced with a Home Depot if the city grants permission.

On Dec. 19, the Home Depot chain filed revised plans to a major modification application to construct a 97,000-square-foot home improvement store plus a 14,000-square-foot garden center, and to allow the encroachment within the protected zone of a landmark tree, said Lori Young, senior planner.

The Community Development Department staff is in the process of reviewing the revised plans, she said.

"The proposed Home Depot will offer Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village residents the opportunity to shop locally at competitive prices for their home improvement needs and revitalize the site of the old Kmart building, which has been dormant for years, bringing the area a fresh look," said Home Depot spokesperson Kathryn Gallagher. "We plan to incorporate an architectural design compatible and consistent with the surrounding neighborhood."

Gallagher also noted Home Depot has responded to community desires for a smaller, more site-compatible store by reducing the size on the 10-acre site by more than 30,000 square feet.

This will make it more than 6,500 square feet smaller than the previous store on that site.

The plan includes regrading and lowering the site to flatten it and make it more functional. Kmart's parking lot sloped.

Home Depot predicts it will generate about $400,000 in local sales per year and create 150 new jobs.

-Nancy Needham