Home Depot's plan for mega store in Granada Hills met with strong opposition from residents
"It's really out of character with the neighborhood," said one resident.
GRANADA HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Plans for a new Home Depot in Granada Hills are not sitting well with some residents who believe the store will bring unnecessary traffic congestion and other issues to their area.
According to plans submitted to the city's planning office, the retail giant is looking to tear down the shopping center, located at the intersection of Balboa Boulevard and Devonshire Street, for a new 164,000-square-foot store, which would include a garden center and tool rental center.
The property was purchased for $40 million, according to city records. However, many residents are opposed to the transformation.
"The main issue is the store that they're proposing here is entirely too large for the area and it's also light industrial, it's not really commercial," said Dr. Stephen Hubbard, the author of the Stop Home Depot Report. "It's really out of character with the neighborhood."
Meanwhile, neighborhood groups believe the store will cause major traffic problems.
"Changing this from a basically shopping mall to an industrial facility with major semi-trucks and loading docks here would be a significant change on the character of the shopping center and a significant change to the traffic," said Linda Williamson with the Granada Hills South Neighborhood Council.
The group has hosted a number of meetings, including one last week, to gather input from community members on the project.
"We voted unanimously to make sure that an environmental impact report is done and it has been sent as a community impact statement to city hall," said member Mark Morris.
Eyewitness News contacted Home Depot for comment. The company said it's waiting for the city's decision regarding their application. We also contacted the Los Angeles Council District 12's office, but have not received a response.
It'll be years before anything is done to the property, especially if both sides agree to an environmental impact report and an L.A. Department of Transportation study.
