Chronology of Home Depot in Mountain View Chronology of Home Depot in Mountain View (February 22, 2002)

By Bill D'Agostino

1994 _ Emporium, a department store which had been in business for more than 25 years on El Camino Real, closes down.
1995 _ Home Depot signs lease to retain control of the site for about 50 years.
1995 _ Council approves Home Depot EXPO, a design center showroom that would have had less large-truck traffic. Soon after, Home Depot announces it is no longer interested in building an EXPO.
Sometime between 1995 and 1997 _ Home Depot subleases site to for development of a Westin hotel / Leisure sports complex.
June, 1997 _ Westin Hotel development approved by council at site.
September, 1998 _ Home Depot informs city that Westin/Leisure Sports complex is not going forward.
Jan. 25, 2000 _ Council approves site for hotel, office, small scale retail (under 50,000 square feet) or other sites but not for big box site.
November, 2000 _ While Rosemary Stasek, one of the most vocal opponents of Home Depot, is running for city council, Home Depot calls residents asking about their support for candidates.
January, 2001 _ The city asks for conceptual drawings and ideas to address traffic and noise issues for a big box store at the site.
July 31, 2001 _ The night that the city council will be presented with the plans and vote on the rezoning, Home Depot pulls its request.
September, 2001 _ Home Depot begins gathering signatures to put rezoning the site on the ballet for 2002.
Oct. 26, 2001 _ Planning commissioner Carol Moholt says that a caller soliciting support for Home Depot said the call was coming from the registrar of voters. Many of the callers soliciting support are from out of state and signature gatherers around town are not Mountain View residents.
Nov. 22, 2001 _ Home Depot announces it has not gotten signatures soon enough to be put on March ballot. Mountain View City Council, however, puts the issue on the ballot anyway to avoid a costly special election.
March 5, 2002 _ The city will vote on Home Depot's measure N, to allow big box retail on the site. If it passes, Home Depot states they can have a store design approved in 2002 and built by fall of 2003. If it doesn't pass, new plans for the site will have to be considered by the city and the company.