Home Depot Eager To Buy Land Near Eagle Hardware Company Wants Site At Highway 95 And Kathleen

In its quest to land a new store near Eagle Hardware and Garden, Home Depot has closed in on a site at U.S. Highway 95 and Kathleen Avenue.

A North Idaho developer familiar with negotiations said the hardware giant has targeted about 14 acres on the southeast side of the intersection. A site plan has been drawn up, but not yet filed with Coeur d’Alene planning or public works officials.

Home Depot last week pulled out of a deal to build a 129,000-square-foot store as part of a 30-acre project on U.S. 95 north of the Silver Lake Mall. The loss of that anchor tenant caused a California development firm to scrap plans for a two-phase retail center on land owned by Hecla Mining Co.

The latest site under consideration would be cobbled together from acreage owned by as many as three different sources.

One of the owners is Jerry Anderson, who runs Sunset Motors at the intersection of Kathleen and U.S. 95, as well as Jerry’s Body Shop immediately to the south.

“There’s nothing final,” said Anderson. “It’s got to be up to (Home Depot) to announce where they’re going to be.”

Home Depot spokeswoman Amy Friend was not available for comment Monday.

As part of a move to cluster with one of its main competitors, Home Depot has sidled up to other Eagle outlets in the area. On Oct. 16, the company opened less than a mile from Eagle’s Spokane Valley store on Sprague.

“They’re clearly our biggest competitor; over 70 percent of our stores compete in markets where there are Home Depots,” said Eagle president Rich Takata.

In Coeur d’Alene, the proposed location would move Home Depot about two miles closer to the Eagle store than it would have been on the Hecla property.

If Home Depot buys the land along Kathleen, Takata pointed out the store will be right across the street from another hardware seller - Atlas Building Supply.

Atlas general manager Tom Richards said he has heard Home Depot is considering a move into his neighborhood. Having weathered the arrival of Fred Meyer, Richards now views competition from chain stories in a different light, since large stores bring more traffic by his door.

“Our business plan can’t include sitting around hoping these people don’t come to town,” Richards said. “Eagle and Home Depot are slugging it out for the same clientele. We’ll leave those people to them and take good care of the rest.”

, DataTimes