Lowe’s reporquestioned

Five months following the Lowe’s Concept Review meeting, the long awaited and anticipated environmental report for the proposed Lowe’s development has finally arrived. This report was originally scheduled for completion and release in July. . .then August. . .then September. . .then October and now, finally, we get this beauty the second week of November. Never has there been any plausible explanation provided for why this report has been delayed so long. Here’s one: lots of bad news, expecially regarding the traffic.

We already know that the city council will need to change its General Plan, the North Westlake Specific Plan and the development agreement for this property.

Added to those changes will be a development dominated by a 167,000-square-foot Goliath Lowe’s, which will flood the surrounding area with more than 66,000 vehicle trips per week— more than three times the traffic from an office development. By the way, that’s 66,000 trips on top of the additional traffic soon to come from the already approved Dole spa, Marriott hotel and restaurants and the Triunfo YMCA.

According to the report, these other already approved projects will add 72,000 weekly trips to the area. That is to say, if the Lowe’s project is approved, we are adding a total of 138,000 vehicle trips per week to the surrounding area from our current traffic level. Unbelievable.

If that isn’t enough, the Lowe’s project provides 207 fewer parking spaces than the city’s municipal code requires, a reported 17 percent shortfall.

Since the time Lowe’s made its applications we’ve heard statements from Mayor Rutherford and Councilman Slavin that traffic would be the deciding factor in approval of this project. Do they need any more proof or reason to reject this project?

Just say no to this project and let your voices be heard by this city council. Cheryl Tabbi Westlake Village