Local business owner urges UI to abandon Home Depot plan

Anthony Kuipers, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
·3 min read
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Aug. 23—The owner of a local hardware business is rallying community members to ask the Idaho State Board of Education to oppose a proposed ground lease that would bring a Home Depot branch to Moscow.

Tyler Garrett, owner of Moscow & Pullman Building Supply, wrote a letter warning the SBOE that bringing in a large national retailer like Home Depot will be detrimental to Moscow and its economy.

"While competition is good and healthy for any business big or small, introducing a juggernaut like The Home Depot greatly risks damaging the diverse and vibrant community that we all know and love," Garrett wrote in his letter.

Garrett asked community members to sign the letter and email it to the SBOE. The letter can be downloaded on the Moscow & Pullman Building Supply website.

By 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Garrett estimated that hundreds of people had signed the letter, but did not have an exact number.

Home Depot is proposing a 136,000-square-foot retail store and garden center in Moscow.

The proposed site for the store is on University of Idaho land just north of the Palouse Mall near the intersection of Farm Road and A Street. The site is used by UI for pasture and cropland.

Because the property is owned by the UI Board of Regents, the matter will be discussed today during an Idaho State Board of Education meeting in Boise. The SBOE will vote on whether to approve the ground lease for the site. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time and can be viewed on the SBOE's YouTube channel.

Garrett argues in his letter that the UI land in question would be of greater benefit to Moscow and its economy if it was home to a local or regional business.

"Considering the University of Idaho's deep connection to its small college town origins, one would assume that preserving its roots and unique identity should be a priority," he wrote.

He called it a "disheartening oversight" by UI to go forward with this proposal without first engaging with local businesses that have supported the school.

Garrett lists several local and regional businesses located on the Palouse including Spence Hardware, SYG Nursery and Northwest River Supplies as examples of businesses that have benefited customers and supported local events and organizations.

He said Home Depot, by contrast, will send its revenue to its shareholders across the country.

"They almost certainly do not fully grasp our demographic, our Palousian identity, or the genuine needs of our broader community," he wrote.

Garrett said that his attitude would be the same toward any large national chain, even if it was not a hardware store.

"I would feel the same way if it was a Costco," he said.

In a comment he left on the Daily News Facebook page, Garrett stated he would "enthusiastically embrace" the chance to sign this lease.

"Leasing 12.5 acres of state-owned land holds the promise of enriching our community through enhanced value and local opportunities," he wrote.

According to the SBOE's meeting materials, Home Depot will pay for all site development and operating costs, including an extension of A Street. UI Regents will maintain ownership of the land, which it has owned since 1926.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.