Reaction rolls in for planned Petaluma Home Depot

Petalumans are expressing a mix of reactions after a proposal was revealed to possibly bring a Home Depot to the former Kmart building in Petaluma’s Plaza North Shopping Center.

After the proposal of the Home Depot store earlier this year, which is slated for the vacant building at 261 North McDowell Blvd., residents took to social media to voice both concern and support. Those against the project say that it would be unnecessary competition for the Friedman’s Home Improvement store, which is located in the neighboring Deer Creek Village mall. Others who supported the new store were glad they would no longer have to travel to Home Depot’s Rohnert Park or Santa Rosa locations for their home improvement needs.

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.

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.

Both Home Depot and Friedman’s Home Improvement declined to comment until the project is further along in the approval process.

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.