UI involved in possible Home Depot store in Moscow
Aug. 22—The 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 Wednesday during an Idaho State Board of Education meeting in Boise. The SBOE will vote on whether to approve the ground lease for the site.
According to the meeting's agenda, Home Depot will pay for all site development and operating costs, including an extension of A Street. UI's existing nearby dairy will continue operating in its current location.
UI Regents will maintain ownership of the land, which it has owned since 1926.
"The proposed development will produce a reliable income stream for UI that can be used to provide a budget source for various university programs or commitments," the SBOE's staff report says.
The 20-year site lease is expected to generate a long-term return from the property.
"This agreement also creates a new, highly dependable income stream that diversifies sources of revenue for UI and sustainably utilizes the land for a higher, better use," the staff report says.
A construction deadline has not been set. UI spokesperson Jodi Walker said in an email that if the lease is approved, Home Depot will make a decision on the timeline of construction.
"Execution of the lease does not guarantee construction will begin, just that further due diligence on the part of Home Depot may proceed," Walker said.
Home Depot will be required to follow city of Moscow procedures to be issued building permits, Walker said.
There are four hardware stores within city limits and one — St. John Hardware and Implement — just outside Moscow.
The SBOE meeting begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday and can be viewed on its YouTube channel.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
