Home Depot's consultants will say anything to get approval for their Westlake Village store.

For example, they exaggerate how far it is to Newbury Park from Westlake Village: "26 miles to Home Depot and back from Westlake Village," says the video on the Home Depot for Thousand Oaks website. Using Google maps, anyone can verify that the Newbury Park store is only 7 miles away.

They downplay how much traffic there will be: "There will be less traffic than there was with the Kmart shopping center," claims the environmental impact report. Kmart opened nearly 40 years ago.

There's a lot more traffic now, even with Kmart being closed for the past five years. The additional truck traffic from deliveries of lumber and building materials alone will make the 101/Hampshire Road interchange even more dysfunctional. Additionally, those who use Willow Lane to avoid the freeway will make that alternative route even more dangerous.

They claim to be a "hardware store" to avoid complying with zoning laws: "City codes don't have a definition for a 'home improvement specialty retailer,'" argues their lawyer, therefore let's ignore that the zone is for a "neighborhood shopping center," serving only the needs of the neighborhood. Since Home Depot bought the lease, they forced all the small businesses to close and now have the nerve to wail that the site is neglected and blighted.

They tip-toe around the problem of day laborers looking for work: "Home Depot will not allow day laborers on their property," vows the plan, but just in case, the city has promised that it will work something out with them—after it's open. This dishonest deferral of dealing with the inevitable impact of workers moving from the city-funded site down a couple of blocks is just wrong.

The last thing we need in Westlake Village is a proverbial "elephant in the room" at the gateway to our beautifully planned community. The City Council will have a special meeting on Tues., March 31 at 6 p.m. to hear the appeal of Home Depot's plan.

Until then, voice your concerns to the City Council. Amy Walker-Davis Westlake Village

WalkerDavis a former planning commissioner with the city of Thousand Oaks.