City should approve what's needed, not a Home Depot

This letter is in response to the opinion "Home Depot won't go away just because an EIR is required" that appeared in the July 12 issue regarding the empty Kmart lot.

I submitted a letter, published on June 7, stating "an ice skating rink, a bowling alley, an arcade center or whatever the community thinks would be best for our kids" would be a better alternative instead of another Home Depot only seven miles away from our current Home Depot. The Acorn's opinion was that my idea and others like it were naive solutions.

Like the out-of-town consultants who suggested four-story buildings along Thousand Oaks Boulevard, the Acorn is out of touch with what the people in this city really want and need.

Does the Acorn really believe we want another Home Depot? I don't agree with the Acorn that this argument is just a not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) retort. After having lived here for nine years with three children in Conejo Valley Unified School District, I think I have a fair handle on our citizens' desires.

I am not so naive to think that the city has an endless supply of cash to implement all the public service projects requested, as the Acorn states. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't scrutinize our budget and allocate the money where it counts the most: toward our children and the senior citizens of our community.

The City Council needs to be held accountable to make every effort to provide safe and enjoyable venues for them. They need to stop trying to make this city something that it doesn't want to be. Instead, they should do their best to keep our community the way all of us have decided, by following the guidance of our city surveys. The consequence of not helping those without a strong voice will definitely result in tragedy. I hope the City Council has enough backbone to reject the idea of another Home Depot.

I always thought the Acorn was devoted to our community interests, but it looks like they're not immune to the money of developers and big business.
Scott Lamp
Thousand Oaks

Editor's note: The editorial clearly stated that the Acorn is not endorsing Home Depot's proposal. We're only saying it has a good chance for approval.

We agree the Kmart site would be great for other purposes, but if the options mentioned are viable alternatives, why hasn't a developer proposed them?