The Stockton City Council entered a 20-year partnership with The Home Depot, Inc., at Tuesday’s council meeting which could net the city $500,000 t0 $1 million annually.
As part of the office and sales tax incentive agreement, The Home Depot will also create a 600,000 to 700.000 e-commerce distribution center at an as yet unspecified location within the city’s boundaries. The facility is expected to create 80 to 100 jobs, plus additional 200 to 300 seasonal jobs, according to the proposal.
Construction is underway on the facility, located at the port of Stockton, and is expected to be operational as early as October 2026.
“What I want the public to understand is we are not only trying to save money, but we are trying to raise money for the public,” Mayor Christina Fugazi said. “I hope through the air district we will have a movement toward more zero-emission vehicles.”
The motion passed 6-1, with Councilmember Mariela Ponce dissenting.
“We looked at several locations in the Bay Area, and we are happy that it landed here,” said Michael Cutri, a spokesperson for The Home Depot.
In other decisions Tuesday, the council approved $598,000 for the purchase of six Chevrolet Silverado police pursuit trucks from Future Chevrolet of Sacramento. During comments, District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower said that he had been contacted by constituents who questioned why the city wasn’t purchasing vehicles for its police force from a local dealership.
“This was an emergency procurement,” said Stockton Public Works Director Chad Reed. “Not only did this company have the trucks, they were already outfitted (for police work).”
The council also approved the city’s 2024 general plan and housing element annual progress reports. The approval also authorizes City Manager Steve Colangelo to submit reports to the State of California’s Housing and Community Development and the Office of Planning and Research departments, as required by law.
As part of the agenda item, the city’s Community Development Department presented an annual progress report on the city’s Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan. The City of Stockton issued 837 permits to build housing units in 2024, said Tina McCarty, the city’s acting economic development director. Of those permits, 282 were designated for very low and low income residents.
Several members of the council spoke about the urgent need for affordable housing. In San Joaquin County, a family of four is considered low income if they earn $77,100 annually, according to the San Joaquin Housing Authority.
“They’re barely squeaking by, with just their Social Security and their disability (earnings),” Fugazi said. “It’s hard out there.”