City of Vallejo backs Lowe's conceptual plans

Vallejo backs Lowe's conceptual plans

By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen/Times-Herald staff writer
Posted: 07/24/2009 01:00:44 AM PDT
Updated: 07/24/2009 01:00:44 AM PDT

The probability of a Lowe's home improvement store coming to Vallejo moved one step closer this week when the city's Planning Division approved the retail giant's conceptual plans, city officials said Thursday.
The project was approved Tuesday, Acting Planning Manager Michelle Hightower said. If built, a Lowe's would create up to 175 mostly full-time jobs, a company spokeswoman said.
Lowe's spokeswoman Chris Ahearn said company policy prohibits commenting on specific projects before a real estate deal is closed, "and we have not done that yet in that market."
Lowe's officials seek to build on Columbus Parkway near Ascot Parkway, about a half-mile from Vallejo's Home Depot, on land owned by Team Superstores owner Ken Ross. The sale is still in escrow, which should close by the end of August, Ross said.
A public comment period about the project has passed, "and no one spoke up against it," Ross said.
Nevertheless, not everyone is excited about the prospect of a Lowe's in Vallejo.
"I'm opposed to it, but I haven't put much effort into it, and as far as I know, no organization is fighting it," said Joe Feller of Vallejo, a member of Vallejoans For Responsible Growth. That's the group that spearheaded the fight against the proposed Vallejo Wal-Mart Supercenter that was subsequently never built.
"I think we have adequate hardware stores and I don't think that would be the best land use up there, but I'm fighting the (Solano County) Fairgrounds development and I can't fight everything," Feller said.

The Lowe's project application, filed in early June, is for the construction of a 120,944-square-foot store with a 31,384-square-foot garden center on slightly more than 12 acres, Hightower said. The project also calls for a separate 7,500-square-foot building, to include added retail tenants, Hightower said.

The plan provides 492 parking spaces, she said.

Ross said that while a home improvement retailer was not part of his original plans for the Auto Row area, the world has changed since he first conceived his strategy.
"The Auto Row has already changed with the economy," he said. "The model we grew up with -- that paradigm has shifted. I've been the last man standing out here for a long time. It's been scary."

Ross' former Auto Row neighbor, Cornelius Ford, was forced out of business a year ago after many decades in Vallejo.

A Lowe's would be a significant asset to Vallejo in general and Ross' car dealerships in particular, he said. . .

Contact staff writer Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at (707) 553-6824 or RachelZ@thnewsnet.com.