STORY MISLEADING

Posted on Sunday, September 25, 2005

SOAPBOX

COCONUT GROVE

HOME DEPOT'S

STORY MISLEADING

In August, Home Depot submitted a story to the Architectural Record, a publication dedicated to large scale commercial development, extolling the virtues of its plan to develop an 85,000 square-foot store in Coral Gables. Apparently, Coral Gables was close enough to Coconut Grove, that the Depot could not make the distinction.

For the record, Atlanta, you have been privately meeting with City of Miami officials. Commissioner Johnny Winton is not the commissioner to Coral Gables. He works for us or -- rather the City of Miami. Please make a note of that in your rolodexes.

The Depot folks extolled the building [which] will ''be built in a tropical style'' surrounded by a one-acre park. Admittedly, when I read this I immediately tried to check the plans on file with the City of Miami [where we were told we could not have them] to see if the Strang plans expanded the strip/lineal park [I hate to use the term ''park'' when it's a median strip].

No we were not to have the plans, but we did confirm there will be no one-acre park. According to the Depot story, the ''one-acre park filled with native vegetation, will soften the exterior massing.'' Well without the one-acre park, what will soften the exterior massing? The median strip is too small.

I was intrigued when I read that Home Depot was dedicating a one-acre park; the site itself is three plus acres. I was more than considering withdrawing my opposition, after all if the Depot were dedicating 25 to 30 percent of the space for native vegetation, that would go a long way to mitigate the project. The one-acre park along with some concessions on the handling of hazardous material and restricting sales of lumber, concrete, cement and plumbing make the Depot much more palatable and demonstrates that it has concern for the neighbors.

However, in the words of Ross Perot, the devil is in the detail. Alas there is no one-acre park. It will not be built in Coral Gables [which rejected a bid by Home Depot] (not that I would wish one on our next door neighbors).

And by the way, just as important, Home Depot will be 125,000 square-feet not the 85,000 square-feet Atlanta wrote to its commercial readers. When Home Depot submits a story to any publication, it should be proofed and it should be accurate. Just a few random thoughts.

MARC DAVID SARNOFF

COCONUT GROVE

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