Living Next Door to Kohl's

For the serious shopper, it would probably be a blessing to have stores like and just a walkable block or two away. For others, it could be a nuisance.

When Kohl's opened in April 2006, some Almarida Drive residents say it brought traffic, big rigs and reckless drivers with it. Now, they're saying they're worried about what's going on in the store's back lot at night. They've noticed an increase in the number of  big rigs and cars parked overnight there. They're not just blaming Kohl's. Many residents say they have seen car carriers and trucks from other businesses parking and spending the night in the Kohl's back lot.

Some of those residents have complained to the . 

Campbell City Manager Dan Rich says he is aware of the complaints made to the police department regarding big rigs and cars spending the night in the lot, and that the city is working with the police department to try and control the issue.

"In response to a complaint about two big rig-type trucks parked in the back lot of Kohl's, the trucks were issued parking citations for violation [of commercial trucks parked in a non-commercial zone after 10 p.m.], which is a fine of $65, on May 13," Rich said in an e-mail.

"Officers on the night shifts have been asked to monitor the area and cite any violators," he added. "Also, we have spoken to the Kohl's management and informed them that we would be more than happy to assist them in asking any unwanted people or vehicles to leave."

Several unsuccessful attempts were made to speak with Kohl's store manager, Michael Avila.

Assistant Store Manager Jenny Gay says she is unaware of any big rigs or other vehicles spending the night in the parking lot.

"However, I'm sure if [Michael Avila] was aware of it, he would be on top of it," Gay said.

For some residents of Almarida Drive, vehicles spending the night in the lot are the least of their worries.

Roy Pollex, whose home is separated from the back parking lot of Kohl's only by a dividing wall, is not happy being so close to the big box retailer.

"Not long after Kohl's opened, one night at around 2 a.m., I heard sirens and a huge racket," he says. "Somebody didn't make that corner and crashed right into the fire hydrant and knocked it out. It landed right in my front yard."

To make matters worse, Pollex says no water came out of the hydrant when it broke, indicating the city hadn't checked it in a long time. If there had been a fire near his house around that time, he says, it could have been devastating.

And before Kohl's could redeem itself in his eyes, Pollex had a bad run-in with a big rig.

"A big rig rode right over my driveway one day, and broke the concrete," he recalls.

The city is trying to address such traffic issues. For example, to discourage drivers from turning right and using Almarida Drive as a through street, the city put up a sign instructing all vehicles to only turn left out of the Kohl's parking lot. However, some residents say it has not really solved the problem.

Many residents said what annoys them the most about the traffic Kohl's has brought to their neighborhood is how recklessly drivers pull out of the parking lot to make that left turn toward the intersection at Hamilton, cutting off drivers who turn right onto Almarida off of Hamilton to get to their homes.

"People just jump right out in front of you sometimes; that's annoying," says Rob Stano, who lives just a few houses down from Kohl's on Almarida. "Some people are trying to go straight [when they turn onto Almarida from Hamilton]. Not everyone is going to Kohl's."

In another attempt to solve traffic problems, the city of Campbell put in a roundabout, close to where Kohl's ends and the residential section of Almarida begins. Not all residents are happy about that, either.

"The roundabout actually seems to make things worse than the three-way stop sign that used to be there," says Almarida Drive resident Tom Conte, who says the street and intersection have always been busy. "People who drive this street often see it as an opportunity to speed right through, since they no longer have a stop sign there to stop them. It definitely doesn't seem safe, for other cars or for people crossing the street."

Otherwise, Conte says he doesn't have too much to complain about.

"Yes, the street is busier than I'd like, but I realize it is a thoroughfare," says Conte, who adds that he appreciates that Campbell police officers make a point to patrol the street often at night now, watching for people who try to run the stop sign at Almarida and Palmar and checking to make sure no homeless people are spending the night behind the dividing fence anymore.