HUNTINGTON BEACH : Store’s Expansion OKd Despite Furor

The City Council this week approved a home supply store’s expansion despite opposition from neighbors.

Council members will allow the Home Depot on Golden West Street near Edinger Avenue to add about 36,000 square feet, increasing its size by almost one-third.

The plans call for the store’s plant and garden annex to be moved and enlarged from 8,000 to 18,000 square feet--a proposal that the Planning Commission rejected in May.

Homeowners living west of the store have complained about noise from forklifts and delivery trucks, a problem that will worsen with the expansion, they argued.

The garden center will be moved within 70 feet of neighbors, which homeowners contend will create more noise and result in odor problems from fertilizers and chemicals.

In approving the expansion, council members directed city staff members to study the noise problem to determine whether a block wall is needed between the facility and the homes. Planners had recommended a block wall at least 8 feet tall, replacing a wire fence.

Council members said they are convinced that the new garden facility is a vital component of the store’s business.

Barbara Kaiser, deputy city administrator for economic development, strongly urged the council to allow the expansion.

Home Depot brings the city about $380,000 a year in sales-tax revenue, second-highest among businesses in the city, said Kaiser, who projected that the expansion could increase the city’s sales-tax income by up to $57,000 per year.

The council also agreed with a recommendation from city staff members that the garden facility be moved closer to the homes, which they said will improve traffic flow through the parking lot.

Staff officials said they believe that the design of the garden annex will adequately protect neighbors from drifting odors.

The store itself will also expand, by 26,000 square feet, according to the approved plan.