Home Depot on slow track

SILVERTHORNE - Home Depot's plans to build a 100,000-square-foot store alongside the Blue River near Interstate 70 are moving slower than many observers anticipated.

"The application is still not complete," SIlverthorne community development director Mark Leidal said last week.

The retail chain's initial application - submitted in late November - was deemed "incomplete" by town staff and returned to the developer in early December for completion. Since then, the town has received nothing official from the company.

Home Depot spokesperson Mike Ciletti said Wednesday that completion of the application is still being worked on, but he was unable to speculate on when it would be finished.

"We're not quite there yet with what we need," he said. "We're getting the full cost estimates of what we think we'll have to do."

Significant factors involved in the proposed development include both environmental and traffic impacts. Despite its existing commercial zoning, the site's proximity to the Blue River's Gold Medal trout-fishing waters and potential traffic issues along Wildernest Road and between parts of the outlet stores complicate the requirements for any construction.

Once the town receives a "complete" application, many hoops remain for the project, including external expert evaluation and planning commission and Town Council approval.

Stock prices of the home improvement giant have dropped significantly over the last year, concomitant with the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the contraction of the national real estate market. Despite its economic woes, however, the 2,234-store company has no plans to pull the plug on its Silverthorne store.

"They're still very interested in the project," Ciletti said.



Harriet Hamilton can be reached at (970) 668-4651, or at hhamilton@summitdaily.com.