Thousand Oaks Store Seeks Earlier Opening Despite Neighbors’ Protests : Businesses: Home Depot officials hope planners’ denial will be overturned by council next week. Complaints concern truck noise.

Home Depot is forging ahead with a request to open earlier in the morning despite protests from nearby Thousand Oaks residents who say the store already wakes them in the wee hours with loud trucks and forklifts.

Representatives from the Newbury Park store on Ventu Park Road will ask the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday to overturn the Planning Commission’s denial of their request to open at 6 a.m.

Home Depot officials said most of their stores open at that hour to accommodate contractors, who arrive for supplies before their work day begins.

The store officials say the store opened at 6 a.m. when it began business in 1990, but shortened its hours after about six months to comply with limitations set by the city.

“I don’t think it’s our customers that are making the early morning noise,” district manager Ross Manzo said. “A lot of that had to do with our delivery trucks, but we’ve notified them not to come in before 7.”

But several residents have complained for months that the store’s overnight workers already make too much noise and that early morning deliveries cause loud tractor-trailers to travel down their residential streets.

“The noises, the banging, the forklifts and the heavy loads being dropped in the early morning vibrate the whole neighborhood”, said Edwin Silva, the leader of the crusade against the store’s expanded hours. “It’s like an earthquake.”

Silva, whose bedroom window overlooks the store’s parking lot, was so irritated by the noise last year that he made a citizen’s arrest against manager Brian Marino on Sept. 7. The event followed a series of warnings from the city that the company was violating city codes by handling early deliveries and storing supplies outside the store.

The citizen’s arrest was followed by an angry letter from Marino’s lawyer stating that Silva’s calls to his home were harassing his wife. Silva said he was just trying to talk to Marino and denies making harassing phone calls.

Meanwhile, city planners are recommending denial of Home Depot’s request to open earlier and allow the store to accept deliveries until 7 p.m., rather than 5 p.m., in the hopes of eliminating some of the early morning ruckus.

If Home Depot is allowed to open earlier, residents are requesting that the store build an eight foot sound wall, provide security to keep trucks from coming in early and continue monthly meetings with the neighbors.

Betsey Nash, administrative assistant at the store, said the sound wall would be too expensive, but that store officials are open to adding late night security and continuing the dialogue with neighbors.

“We are working with the city, and we are sincere in trying to get along with everyone involved,” she said. Store officials have held several meetings with nearby residents since September.

Silva said conditions have improved in recent weeks, but said he still does not want the store to open at 6 a.m.

“We’re not here to close them,” Silva said. “We just want them to be good neighbors.”