Former Kmart not a good place to open a Home Depot

I am writing to express my extreme concern over the proposed construction of a Home Depot on Hampshire Road in Thousand Oaks. There are many issues which I feel are very detrimental to the aesthetics of Thousand Oaks/ Westlake Village, to the well-being of its residents, to the environment and to the traffic safety of the community at large.

When the proposal from Home Depot was presented to the City Council, there was no publicized opportunity for review by the citizens of this area. The location that was chosen was zoned for a neighborhood shopping center and not a big box store.

This area has prided itself on quality of life and on creating a very different sort of community, one where beauty and planning maintain a living environment that is unique from other communities.

There are no warehouse stores in this area, and that is the result of community developmental planning rather than the effort of city government to profit at the expense of community standards. That is how it has been until this particular city government decided to sidestep these strictures.

It is my understanding that an environmental impact report was waived and that the data from Home Depot on the council's acceptance of this project was incomplete. Just one aspect of the project's impact is immediately understood just looking at the Hampshire Road on and offramps of the 101 Freeway and all the additional roads leading into that intersection. The present intersection is clearly straining to handle the current traffic demands.

There is no space to stage Home Depot traffic as it enters and exits the freeway, creating massive backup and congestion. There is also inadequate space for big rigs to navigate the freeway entrance and exit and make necessary turns. All this takes place where there is also pedestrian crossing and truck traffic coming across Willow Lane to get into Westlake or to use the freeway.

The proposed Home Depot site is immediately surrounded by residential living, a day-care center and a senior facility. This is a business that goes 24 hours a day. One intangible factor is how sound carries in this geographical area. As an example, people living in Village Homes and other areas adjacent to the Home Depot site can often hear the loudspeakers across the freeway at the Auto Center.

Imagine all night deliveries and the very real and unpleasant disruption that would cause in surrounding neighborhoods.

There are many issues that can be addressed but the most important issue is that members of the City Council are elected to protect the integrity of their community, the quality of life of its residents and to act with a responsible conscience in fulfilling the mandates from its citizens. Disregarding established procedures and laws and acting without transparency do not serve the community.

A full environmental study needs to be presented to the community so that they can have a voice in the future direction of this project. Carol Karm Westlake Village