MISSION VIEJO : Home Depot Plan Gets City Blessing

A potential lawsuit and the prospect of about $500,000 a year in sales tax revenue persuaded the City Council this week not to block the construction of a Home Depot store.

Warned by City Atty. Peter M. Thorson that the city would lose a legal challenge if the project was rejected, the council voted 4 to 1 to deny an appeal of an earlier Planning Commission approval of the development.

With the relative scarcity of retail and commercial business in Mission Viejo, the council was also swayed by the estimated $500,000 in annual sales tax revenue that would be brought in by the proposed home and garden center.

“I think this is the best choice for all citizens, for everyone we represent in the city,” said Mayor Sharon Cody.

The Home Depot building center is planned for a 9.7-acre site near the corner of Crown Valley and Marguerite parkways. The council’s decision frustrated about 100 neighbors who filled council chambers in an attempt to block the project.

Residents of the 450 homes surrounding the site challenged traffic studies compiled by Home Depot officials and the landowner, the Mission Viejo Co.

“We’re not against development and progress,” said Don Augustine, a resident of the neighboring Hillcrest tract since 1985. But “gridlock on Crown Valley and Avery (parkways) will be bad if this goes through. This project will make the beautiful planned community of Mission Viejo into a gridlocked city.”

Residents also questioned whether city zoning standards are being compromised by the development. The site was rezoned last year to allow commercial and office construction.

Because Home Depot sells lumber and other goods to wholesalers, company officials said the store satisfies the city’s zoning restrictions. But residents said that only about 20% of the store’s total business comes from wholesalers.

Cody said the sales tax revenue is badly needed to pay for recent city purchases, such as recreation centers and sites for new city athletic fields.