The Vernon Planning & Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing for an application for a Home Depot at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, 2007 in the Senior Center auditorium, 26 Park Place, Rockville.

Diamond 67, LLC is applying for a 117,000 square foot Home Depot building with a 28,713 garden center at 117 Reservoir Road, Vernon near exit 67 off I-84.

The Home Depot application is a serious threat to Walker’s Reservoir and the Tankerhoosen watershed due to its size, amount of impervious surface and proximity to these important natural resources. The plan to use the existing septic system (the septic system previously used by New England Sportsplex) over an aquifer is also a threat.

The public will probably not have an opportunity to speak at this meeting, but please attend to show your opposition to this application.

 The area in question is near where I grew up. The area is wetlands and there is nearby forest. This part of Vernon, on the Tolland line, is one of the few areas not characterized by sprawl and strip malls. There is a Home Depot less than a ten-minute drive from this location. So far, the town of Vernon has been successful at keeping Wal-Mart out of that area.