San Juan to Study Impact of Proposed Home Store

San Juan Capistrano’s City Council, which hopes to sell 13 acres of land for a home-improvement warehouse store, voted unanimously Tuesday to study the likely environmental impact of such a project before proceeding.

The proposal to sell the city-owned land west of Camino Capistrano and north of Stonehill Drive has drawn objections from residents who say such a business would bring noise and air pollution and cause excessive light to shine in their homes. The plan also is opposed by advocates for about three dozen homeless people who have been camping on the property.

Said Councilman David M. Swerdlin: “We have diesel fumes that need to be reckoned with. I believe the Home Depot and Lowe’s are well aware of that issue.” He also urged review of traffic patterns.

Before the meeting, about 25 members of the No Home Depot Committee and other residents protested in front of City Hall with signs that read, “Little Towns and Little Roads Don’t Need Big Business” and “Just Say No.”

The council session drew about 75 people, most of them opposed to the proposal. Marianna Handler, a resident of Capistrano Valley Mobile Estates adjacent to the property, told officials, “If we get a Home Depot, our way of life is finished,”

Home Depot, which owns an adjoining strip of property, has offered $9 million for the city land. The Lowe’s home-improvement chain also is interested in the site. An earlier attempt to acquire the property was blocked in 1997 by a city building moratorium.

The next step for San Juan Capistrano is to hire consultants to evaluate likely effects of noise, auto emissions and traffic flow. The process could take six to eight months, including a public comment period, said Douglas Dumhart, the city’s principal management analyst.

The city will ask Home Depot to pay for the report, which could cost as much as $120,000, Dumhart said.