Home Depot back in the Grove spotlight
I saw a post on Facebook where a lady was asking Commissioner Ken Russell about the Coconut Grove Home Depot. She wanted to know why the City had the outdoor plants and propane tanks removed. She liked them and feels the outside of the store is a "barren concrete wasteland," now that the colorful flowering plants have been removed.
The whole reason the store is there today is because many people fought at the time to keep the store contained. Residents did not want a big box store at all, but if there had to be a big box store, they didn't want it overflowing out into the street. There is no garden department and no lumber department. The goal was to keep it from ending up like the mess that the SW 8th Street store has begun.
Many now want plants and propane, even though they can run across US1 to Shell Lumber to get those items.
Is this another case of gentrification of Coconut Grove? Everything that those in the past have created is being undone. What is ironic here is that the Home Depot is what propelled Marc Sarnoff into the spotlight and this cause got him elected as Commissioner. Will our current Commissioner undo this?
I don't think I ever really agreed with Marc Sarnoff about much, but I did agree that a big box store did not belong in our neighborhood and while it took me a whole 10 years to set foot in the Grove Home Depot, I do go there now and I have bought small plants - mostly orchids and poinsettias, but do they belong outside on the sidewalk and perhaps in the parking lot areas? They did make the store appear friendly and attractive.
The whole reason the store is there today is because many people fought at the time to keep the store contained. Residents did not want a big box store at all, but if there had to be a big box store, they didn't want it overflowing out into the street. There is no garden department and no lumber department. The goal was to keep it from ending up like the mess that the SW 8th Street store has begun.
Many now want plants and propane, even though they can run across US1 to Shell Lumber to get those items.
Is this another case of gentrification of Coconut Grove? Everything that those in the past have created is being undone. What is ironic here is that the Home Depot is what propelled Marc Sarnoff into the spotlight and this cause got him elected as Commissioner. Will our current Commissioner undo this?
I don't think I ever really agreed with Marc Sarnoff about much, but I did agree that a big box store did not belong in our neighborhood and while it took me a whole 10 years to set foot in the Grove Home Depot, I do go there now and I have bought small plants - mostly orchids and poinsettias, but do they belong outside on the sidewalk and perhaps in the parking lot areas? They did make the store appear friendly and attractive.
posted by Tom Falco at 4:00 AM
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10 Comments:
I love that Home Depot is / was selling propane and plants. It's one stop shopping. Go to Home Depot and then to Miliams for groceries.
We worked very hard to have certain restrictions placed on Home Depot. They are slowly chipping away these restrictions evidently hoping no one will notice. No garden center, no propane tanks, no sales or rental trucks in the parking lot etc. The really sad part was the selling of Christmas Trees taking revenue away from The Boy's Club and other worthy causes.
Well put. The flowers and plants added a lot. Also seemed to cool things off a bit. Somehow we've taken a step backwards.
Shell Lumber is fine, and I believe in supporting locals, but they close at 6 on week days, and are not open on Sunday. I find it nearly impossible to get there during their business hours, therefore I rarely try. There is a lot about Miami that is less than tidy or organized, and somehow folks seem to look the other way. Keeping HD contained to their front sidewalk seems adequate. (I've never seen them 'spill onto the street'.)
Elaine Mills
He got elected promising to not let Home Depot open and then it did!
I think it looks much nicer with the plants outside, makes it look like a warm, welcoming store, not just a hardwaretore.
I like having a smallish Home Depot nearby -- very convenient. I also think they have done a pretty good job of landscaping the parking lot and have used quite a bit of greenery to fence the store from the street. It looks better than some of the landscaping around apts on Bird Road. (Hope the redo of Bird cleans up the overall shabby look of Bird.)
I've shopped at that Home Depot quite a lot, actually. Service there is generally much better than on 8th Street. My only gripe about the plants on the sidewalk is that they often act as a fence that blocks you from stepping out of the way of traffic.
I'm assuming that those that are against Home Depot being allowed to keep their plants and flowers are the same that complain about the reduction of tree canopy around the Grove. All I see now when driving past the store is a big concrete wall. That's kind of ugly.
It sounds a little hypocritical to me when a community that prides itself on tree canopy and lush landscaping complains that a store that makes that landscaping available is not allowed to do so anymore.
It's a strange place we live in.
The Christmas trees were a step too far.
I noticed two weeks ago that the "garden section" at Home Depot was gone. At the time, I thought well it's too hot for me too. The plants must be on hiatus.
Yesterday, I went in for some fertilizer and plant advice. Apparently, I now am a succulent killer. I love all things green but it's not a mutual affair. Anyway, I found out the City made them remove the plant section on the sidewalk outside. Pity.
I love the available nurseries when I have time to go to Pinecrest or the Redlands or even Westchester. The orchid guys around the Grove are a delight. But I'll miss the convenience of checking the stock and simple greenery on my way to Milam's. I've found a few treasures and duds but always fun.
As usual the city, like all bureaucracies, has no ability to assess individual situations. I hope for the sake of our restaurants they don't start getting as technically strict with the cafes and restaurants along Main Highway and Commodore or I foresee longer wait times in season for a bite to eat.
As for big box stores, I see no issue at the periphery along US1. We already have a strip mall at 27th which has its uses for gas and pet supplies. Not allowing rheum along that corridor just means longer travel to utilitarian services most need.
I love shell lumber - an absolute institution! However their plant section and selection is frequently abysmal. The staff is great and often knowledgeable.
Maybe they'll seize the opportunity and expand and truly create a garden section worthy of the rest of their fine offerings.
Here's hoping!
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