Big-Box Stores

* I can’t understand why city of Ventura officials are considering another shopping center with a Home Depot store at the old 101 drive-in theater site. A few miles down the road, Home Depot is moving into a Sears building at the Oxnard Esplanade mall. Home Depot is also announcing a new store in Camarillo next to Target. How many is enough?

If our city is to have this kind of big-box store, it certainly should not be wedged into a major residential area, as proposed. The 101 drive-in location is obsolete now. It is not conducive or compatible anymore with residential areas built around it. At least the Home Depots planned for Oxnard and Camarillo are away from houses.

How are the Ventura neighborhoods supposed to tolerate automobile and truck traffic at all hours of the day and night? I think it is horrendous and unimaginable. What about the noise and pollution, and the parking lot lights glaring at night.

The current traffic at Main Street and Telephone Road by the old drive-in is already turning into a nightmare because of the Pacific View Mall, and it is still trying to fill up the rest of its stores. How many thousands of cars are supposed to fit into this bottleneck intersection?

Our city officials need to rethink what goes on at the old drive-in site and come up with something that makes sense. A big Home Depot development just does not fit. Find somewhere else for it.

BILL LOWER

Ventura