One of the founders of the No To Home Depot group, that organization fighting the proposed Home Depot in Sunland-Tujunga, sent the following email last night: "Breaking News! We just spoke with a high ranking Home Depot official (at 10:45 pm) and he is confirming that HD is backing out of their proposed store in Sunland-Tujunga! We are still shaking from the news, updates when we settle down and stop celebrating! Score a big victory for local control and our community." According to the group's web site, the chain has also dropped its $10 million lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, a suit that the company had threatened to resume late last year. In December, City Planning Department rejected Home Depot's request for an exemption for a full environmental assessment. The initial suit stems from the fact that Home Depot got a building permit first, but then the city decided that an environmental review process was needed (and during all this time, residents started gathering support against the project). Home Depot has stated that since the new store is a remodel, such a review process wasn't necessary. According to Ron Kaye's web site, Home Depot has put the land up for sale. One may guess that Home Depot also doesn't want to open as many stores in 2009, which may be true, but the home improvement chain also hasn't been as hard hit by the economy as one would think, according to this recent AP story. UPDATE: Jeff Nichols, Real Estate Director for Home Depot's Western Region, just sent out a (very polite) letter regarding both the withdrawal of the suit and the land sale. PDF is here.
· We Win! [No to Home Depot]
· BREAKING NEWS! Home Depot Reinstates Suit [No2HomeDepot]
· City Planners Say "No" to Home Depot -- Full environmental study required [Ron Kaye]
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