Lowe’s requesting more time to build Poway store

By Steve Dreyer

The Lowe’s home improvement chain still wants to build a store in Poway but is requesting more time to do so.

Meeting Tuesday night, the Poway City Council will consider the company’s request to extend by two years the amount of time available to build a store on the 11 acres it owns along the north side of Poway Road. The site currently has buildings vacated by Toyota of Poway and a former Chevrolet dealership. Those buildings are to be torn down as part of the site preparation process.

The company hopes to break ground on the new store in February or March of next year, according to Bob Manis, the city’s director of development services.

The City Council approved the project on Sept. 6, 2011. That approval expires on Sept. 6 unless the two-year extension required is approved. Typically, such requests are routinely approved.

Lowe’s proposes to build a 121,000-square-foot store, a 31,658-square-foot garden center and a 4,500-square-foot separate business pad on the property. Manis on Tuesday said the final store “footprint” may be a bit smaller, perhaps by 10,000 square feet. While plans now show one additional stand-alone retail building pad with a drive-through feature, Lowe’s is pondering the idea of adding a second pad.

The company’s request for a time extension is the subject of a public hearing that will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive. Agenda materials are available at www.poway.org.