MOORPARK : Carwash Builder to Replace Trees

A developer who was ordered to halt construction on a full-service carwash last week has resumed work at the Moorpark site after agreeing to replace trees that had been illegally removed.

Leonard Liston, engineer and part owner of Moorpark Car Care Inc., promised the Moorpark City Council Wednesday that he would spend more than $12,000 to landscape the Park Lane property. During construction, Liston removed 11 trees without permission, including a silk oak 25 inches in diameter and an 18-inch-diameter cedar.

Liston also agreed to keep the carwash closed until noon on Sundays so the business will not interfere with church services held on the neighboring property.

Representatives of the Shiloh Community Church had complained to the city that the trees would have provided a sound barrier between the church and the carwash and that their removal would allow noise to interfere with church services.