Home Depot opponents threaten a public vote
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

PROTESTING--Sandra Stafford, an Agoura Hills resident representing the Cornell Preservation Organization, leads a line of podium speakers who oppose a shopping center that would be anchored by Home Depot west of Kanan on Agoura Road. Members and guests of Citizens for Responsible Growth host the gathering in Agoura High School's gymnasium Tuesday evening.

Citizens for Responsible Growth, an Agoura Hills organization, is calling for a ballot measure to let voters decide whether or not they want a Home Depot store in the community.

The 140,000 square-foot "big box" store would be built on Agoura Road between Kanan and Reyes Adobe roads. An application to build the Home Depot and other shops and restaurants in the vicinity is currently under review by the city’s planning commission.

Some 250 people attended a rally Tuesday at the Agoura High School gymnasium to listen to the citizens’ group proposal for a ballot measure and to discuss concerns about the development’s impact on traffic and the environment.

"There’s a lot of hypocrisy in a city that says this is why you want to be here, the open space, then they put up a big box," said Laura Mayer, an Agoura Hills resident.

The group said it would begin circulating a petition to obtain the necessary signatures for a ballot initiative. If approved in time, the measure could be part of the Agoura Hills City Council election in November.

Jess Thomas, an Old Agoura resident and president of the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, said even though the city could gain large sales tax revenues from Home Depot––estimates run as high as $500,000 a year––other sales tax would be lost because competitors would be forced to close.

"We have the strong opportunity to keep the things we cherish if only we derail the sales tax train," Thomas said.

Thomas proposed bringing back the city’s utility tax as a revenue source, but Agoura Hills voters defeated the utility tax in 1997. One of the residents who fought against that tax is Dan Crisafulli. Tuesday, Crisafulli sat alongside Thomas as a member of the citizen’s group leadership board.

Crisafulli thinks Home Depot has made a poor marketing decision.

"I don’t believe Home Depot can make it in this location and I don’t believe they believe they can make it in this location," Crisafulli said.

Other leaders of the group are Al Abrams and Colleen Holmes, local businessman Mel Adams, and Century City land-use attorney Ben Reznik.

Rick Myers, part owner of a new flooring materials store that will open soon on Roadside Drive, thinks Home Depot won’t be a major threat to his business.

"It’s a legitimate concern," Myers said. "I don’t think they can touch us, but you never know."

Home Depot would be part of a 255,300 square-foot shopping mall called Ladyface Village Center, in the planning stages for more than a year by Westlake Village developer Dan Selleck. The project is currently undergoing environmental review.

Abrams said commercial redevelopment of the Agoura Road area could be accomplished in other ways.

"It’s going to happen. We might as well have something happen that we want," Abrams said.

Pending a ballot initiative, the final decision on Home Depot lies with the city council. The group invited members of the council to the rally, but only City Councilman Dan Kuperberg showed up briefly at the end. Kuperberg didn’t address the audience. Selleck and Home Depot representatives didn’t attend.

Two weeks ago Kuperberg proposed testing public opinion to see if a Home Depot referendum might be warranted, but the other councilmembers opposed his request.