By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

Thousand Oaks is requiring an environmental impact report (EIR) from Home Depot before the planning commission considers the proposed building on Hampshire Road on the former Kmart site.

Traffic, air quality and noise are among the concerns that triggered the call for an EIR, senior planner Rick Burgess said. The document will help the planning commission and the City Council understand the environmental impacts on the area if the project goes forward, he said.

A mitigated negative declaration (MND) on the property has already been provided. According to the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, an MND requires that all potentially significant environmental concerns regarding the project be reduced to a level of insignificance. If it appears something cannot be mitigated, an EIR is needed, Burgess said.

Private consultants hired by individuals interested in the city's decision on the project were able to make "a fair argument," as it's officially called by the California Environmental Quality Act. A fair argument is sufficient to establish the need for an EIR, Burgess said.

The EIR typically looks at how the development affects noise levels, traffic flow, local wildlife and city resources, among other considerations. Unlike with an MND, all of the environmental impacts of an EIR do not necessarily have to be mitigated, Burgess explained.

"An EIR is more detailed, more exhaustive. It has a longer review period that provides for better public scrutiny," Burgess said. Home Depot will be paying for both the MND and the EIR, he said.

Information about the project will also be sent to the state clearinghouse within the Governor's Office of Planning and Research in Sacramento, where clearinghouse officials will decide what other California agencies need to examine the project. Caltrans, the Department of Fish and Game and other agencies might want to comment on it, Burgess said.

If the agencies do comment, that information will be included in the EIR, he said.

"It provides as much detail as possible to decision makers who then decide if the project is worth it or not," Burgess said.

The proposed Home Depot project may go before the planning commission sometime in the fall, he said.