Fire-torched Home Depot site at 920 Blossom Hill Road in San Jose, seen in April 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE — Dick’s Sporting Goods aims to relocate to the fire-scorched site of a former Home Depot store in South San Jose as part of a project that would produce a wide-ranging revamp of the property.
The sporting goods retailer has filed papers with the San Jose Planning Department for the redevelopment of the property, which a fire heavily damaged about four years ago.
Investigators eventually ruled the April 2022 fire was caused by an arsonist.
The building totals roughly 99,000 square feet, according to the filing. That’s more than double the size of the existing Dick’s store site at 680 Blossom Hill Road, which totals roughly 40,000 square feet.
The size of the proposed Dick’s Sporting Goods store would be in the range of a large-format Dick’s retail hub known as House of Sport. These experience-oriented stores are typically 100,000 to 120,000 square feet in size.
“House of Sport is a 100,000-square-foot-plus store that provides athletes with an incredible assortment of products along with in-store experiences,” Dick’s Sporting Goods states on its website.
The experiences typically can include “a climbing wall, multiple golf bays with TrackMan simulators, and multisport cages that can be used for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer,” the sporting good retailer states.
The retailer hopes that the House of Sport sites will help it create better links to neighborhoods in the region.
“House of Sport stores also focus on deep integration with the local community through partnerships and events,” Dick’s states.” Some locations have a field attached to the store that can be used for open play, clinics, league space, or as an ice rink in the winter.”
The retailer is planning significant upgrades both inside and outside the existing former Home Depot structure. Dick’s doesn’t intend to expand the square footage of the existing building.
The work would include a demolition of the interior walls, lights, and doors of the site, which is at 920 Blossom Hill Road in San Jose, the city files show.
The exterior work would include a canopy removal, new light fixtures, painting, cladding, and landscaping. Upgrades are planned for the mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and fire alarm systems, the plans show.
The time frame to complete the work or to open the store wasn’t immediately known.
“Dick’s House of Sport is redefining sports retail,” Lauren Hobart, chief executive officer of Dick’s Sporting Goods, stated in a conference call with analysts in March 2023. “It is an experience that fosters deep community involvement that goes well beyond traditional retail.”