HOME DEPOT TO PRESENT
PLANS FOR GROVE STORE AT
THE COCOANUT GROVE VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOME DEPOT TO PRESENT
PLANS FOR GROVE STORE AT
THE COCOANUT GROVE VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, APRIL 5TH AT 7:00 P.M
AT CITY HALL

GROVE FIRST WILL BE HOLDING A RALLY AT 6:00 p.m. OUTSIDE CITY HALL

Although they have apparently been meeting with city officials since January, this is the first time that Home Depot to reaches out to the community to present their plans for the site at Grove Gate during tonight's Cocoanut Grove Village Council meeting, at City Hall at 7 pm.

There will be an opportunity for questions to Home Depot Representatives at the presentation.  The meeting is open to everyone and anyone can have an opportunity to speak and resident turn-out is expected. 

Despite their recent promises to make  things different in the Grove, the 8th Street Store continues to be a major concern of residents.

Other issues which may come up include:

· Despite describing their Vancouver store to the Commission during last week’s hearing, Kevin Workman, Home Depot’s representative forgot to advise the Commission that that particular store is 70,000 sq. ft. In fact, when he was asked by one of the commissioners what their smallest store was, he paused to think and said 105,000 sq. ft.  He not only "overlooked" the Vancouver store, he had brought up earlier, but the square footage of the Chicago store, at 80,000 sq. ft. and the Cape Cod store is 65,000 sq. ft. this proves that they could have, in fact, worked well within the 70,000 sq. ft. limit on C-1 designations which the Planning Advisory Board voted 5-2 to recommend to the Commissioners.

· Traffic remains an issue-- and it now threatens to be worse, for at the last Commission Hearing, Kevin Workman, as well as the architect they have hired for the "Grove Friendly" architectural plans spoke of limiting the entry and exit of the semi-trailer delivery trucks to US1.  This will affect not just the Grove, but everyone who uses that busy and highly congested thoroughfare.

· The proximity of highly toxic and caustic materials so close to the gas station, which will remain on the corner of US1 and 32nd Avenue .

THIS MEETING WILL BE VIDEOTAPED FOR NET CHANNEL 9.

Background:

Support for keeping Big Box out of Coconut Grove continues to grow.  More organizations and petition signers join every day.
 
The Grove First is not against Home Depot in particular, but against any big box that would disrupt the neighborhood, and currently, Home Depot happens to be the big-box that is threatening to do just that. 

For information: www.thegrovefirst.com 786-302-5352   info@thegrovefirst.com

Contacts:    

     Marc Sarnoff, 305-441-5966        mdsarnoff@attglobal.net
     Mel Meinhardt, 305-448-1290      mel@melmeinhardt.com
     Sue McConnell, 305-442-9235    McConnell28@msn.com
     Lili Dones, 305-445-1711             yachthabr@aol.com