Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As many of you are aware, the Sunland-Tujunga community has been engaged in a multi-year effort to stop Home Depot
from opening a store at the old K-Mart site (8040 Foothill Blvd.) and to ensure that all applicable laws are followed and the
Foothill Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan is followed and respected in the process.
Last night it was discovered that Home Depot has dismissed its lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, shut down their
website that was attempting to outreach into Sunland-Tujunga, and announced plans to cease all efforts to develop and
open a Home Depot in Sunland. While the current economic conditions certainly added to the urgency of Home Depot's
decision, this is still a great victory for our community. It shows that a community which bands together for a common
cause and refuses to surrender no matter what the odds are... can educate itself, work hard, stay focused on the facts,
and ultimately prevail.
While many local community groups like the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance (STA), the No2HomeDepot Campaign and the
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (STNC) have helped organize and worked hard along the way, the real credit
belongs to the people of Sunland-Tujunga who have been there every step of the way. You have been there at all the
important meetings and hearings. You heeded the call when action alerts were issued. You wrote passionate, informed
letters again and again to the appropriate City officials and committees. You remained vigilant. You became increasingly
educated about the facts and intricacies of the situation. You stood tall for the quality of life in Sunland-Tujunga and never
wavered. The gratitude of our community belongs to each of you.
Enjoy this moment.
However, now we must focus on what comes next. How can we remain engaged and ensure that the next tenants on the
old Kmart property suit the needs of our community and support our vision of the future? This is still a land use issue that
needs to be resolved.
We intend to work diligently with the City of Los Angeles. We intend to engage Home Depot since they still control the
lease to the property. Simultaneously, we will seek to stimulate discussion with other businesses and community-minded
developers to see if an opportunity exists to match the lease with a tenant eager to take part in the future of this great
community.
As always, we will look to each of you in the Sunland-Tujunga community for your valuable ideas and your tireless effort.
Our next General Meeting will take place at Mt. Gleason Middle School at 7pm on Wednesday, January 14th. Join us as
we continue to take charge of our own destiny and the bright future of Sunland-Tujunga.
All the Best,
Dan McManus
President
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council
Return To No Home Depot