Home Depot slated for former Petaluma Kmart location

Home Depot is eyeing a Petaluma location, zeroing in on the former Kmart site in Petaluma’s Plaza North Shopping Center.

Plans submitted in January by Gallelli Real Estate call for the demolition of the original building to make way for a 107,891-square foot main building and a 28,216-square foot garden center in the northwest portion of the 19-acre shopping center at 261 North McDowell Blvd.

The Petaluma Planning Commission is set to review the project April 19. It’s unclear when the project, if approved, would be completed.

The proposal comes more than two years after the longtime Kmart closed in February 2020, following owner Transformco’s decision to shutter 96 of its stores nationwide in the wake of bankruptcy.

Petaluma, Sonoma County’s second-largest city, has served as the headquarters for the regional home improvement chain Friedman’s, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021.

The site, where Home Depot plans to employ up to 175 full- and part-time employees, is just a half-mile from Friedman’s Petaluma location.

Requests for comment sent to Petaluma planning officials and Home Depot were not immediately returned.

The proposed development would incorporate multiple energy-saving components, including the use of sun-reflecting roofing materials. Solar panels may also be installed over 60% of its roof area, depending on whether skylights are installed, and high-efficiency LED lighting would be used throughout the building, including in signage.

The newly constructed Home Depot would also include a tool rental center which would provide truck and van rentals for customers as well, according to city documents.

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.