by Man-eater Johnson & Johnson

Flounder reporter

A sudden increase in development on Orcas has caught the attention of a large home improvement corporation. It was announced on Friday, March 25, that a Home Depot store will be moving into the lot on the corner of Mount Baker Road and North Beach Road, which has been housing the dog park.

“It’ll be great for the community of Eastsound,” said county council member Rich Mews. “It will bring more jobs and a broader availability of building products to the island.”

Up until recently, the decision to change the designation of that corner from Eastsound Residential to Service Light Industrial was greatly contested. In December, the county council had voted to postpone any designation changes done to the lot, but due to interest from Home Depot, the council called an emergency meeting to approve the lot’s landuse change.

“We really thought long and hard about the implications of this decision, and we feel this is in the best interest of all Orcas residents,” said council member Steven James.

Members of the community were initially up in arms, but laid down their pitchforks when they realized what great deals Home Depot offers. Did you know you buy an Electric Start Gas Snow Blower at Home Depot for just $24,999? What a steal!

Construction of the new Home Depot store will begin in May, with a hiring event happening shortly thereafter.

“It’s a start of something great,” said Mews. “I think the economy of Orcas will benefit from this new business and I look forward to prosperous relationships with other large chain stores.”