DUBLIN (KRON) — The first phase of developing a plot of land in Dublin for a new IKEA store has passed the city council.

But not everyone is on board with putting a big store like the furniture giant in that city.

It is the only undeveloped piece of land at the corner of Hacienda Drive and Martinelli Way. The corner already has many stores, and if IKEA has its way, low-cost furniture will be a part of the retail corridor.

The Dublin City Council approved the go ahead for the Environmental Impact Report, which will be paid for by the developer.

But resident Young Cho said an IKEA will make a bad traffic situation worse, and he doesn’t want IKEA to come to town.

“We don’t need an IKEA here. We don’t have the room for it,” Cho said. “Already the traffic situation, congestion in general right now on 580 is just horrible as it is. They did make an HOV lane but it didn’t seem to help. Weekends are bad, so we just know that IKEA is just going to make matters worse and we just don’t want a big, blue box building sitting in our neighborhood.”

But IKEA is very popular, especially in a growing region like the East Bay. Some said there is plenty of room for the big store, but Young said it should go somewhere else–anywhere but Dublin.

“There is a good place to put an IKEA, just not Dublin,” Young said. “There is plenty of land outside of Dublin…in Lathrop, Mountain House, areas like that where there are giant plots of land, where there’s plenty of room (to) build giant box stores. But Dublin is just not the place.”

The city will figure out what to do next when the EIR comes back, and there will be plenty of opportunity for public comment on the development.

Joseph Roth, U.S. expansion and property of public affairs for IKEA, has issued the following statement:

“The previous iteration of this project was very high profile too when it was approved by an earlier City Council. Based on this experience, we are familiar with the community pride and civic participation that has helped Dublin continue to flourish as a vibrant, open-minded and progressive city. We actually are very excited about this proposed opportunity and believe the location is ideally suited for a potential IKEA store and offers a promising partnership. We definitely recognize that our submitting plans to the City is the beginning of a dialogue – not the end of the conversation. We look forward to meeting with members of the Dublin community to discuss all matters relating to the proposed project.”

Additional/supporting points…

  • The tax revenue generated by a retailer the calibre of IKEA – which does not locate everywhere – would create significant financial opportunities for the city of Dublin to further meet the needs of its residents.
  • Widely regarded as an employer of choice, IKEA would be creating approximately 350 permanent jobs (with competitive compensation and generous benefits).
  • Reflecting our Swedish heritage, we would be evaluating onsite renewable energy generation consistent with our global commitment to sustainability.
  • Much of the roadway infrastructure needed to support the store already is in place – because it was designed and constructed by us more than ten years ago to accommodate the previously approved plan.
  • The construction of an IKEA store at the I-580 & Hacienda location complements the successful retail synergy already present at that intersection across both Hacienda and Martinelli Way.
  • The IKEA proposal also includes six acres contiguous to IKEA that will be developed to accommodate opportunities for ancillary uses such as retail, restaurant and a boutique hotel based on what the city officials and community leaders may prefer.