SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Temporary Parking Set for Train Depot

A total of 50 temporary downtown public parking spaces will be provided by the Mission Texaco gas station under an agreement reached with the City Council.

The council was looking for spaces to replace those that will be lost during construction of second-deck parking in a public lot behind the Capistrano train depot. It approached Texaco because the station is on city-owned property and is scheduled for demolition, according to a city report.

Texaco agreed to stripe, pave and erect signs for parking spaces on two dirt lots along El Camino Real in exchange for the right to stay in business for at least two more years, according to the report.

Additional parking also would be provided at the gas station, at the corner of El Camino Real and Ortega Highway, according to the agreement approved last week.

It pays to keep the gas station in business because the city gains revenue under the terms of the agreement, according to the report.

Currently, the city receives about $33,100 a year as its share of gasoline tax from the station, according to the report.

“It’s a good deal for the city and a good deal for Texaco,” said City Councilwoman Carolyn Nash. “Texaco gets to continue on a lease that was supposed to expire two years ago.”

The city’s community redevelopment agency purchased the station property from the Catholic Diocese of Orange in 1987 for $1.1 million. At that time, the city was planning to demolish the station to realign Ortega Highway.

The agreement calls for Texaco to complete the improvements within 120 days. Former Councilman Ken Friess, who worked for Texaco as a consultant, said he expects them to act quickly.

“I’d encourage them to finish before the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony,” Friess said.

Construction on the new deck of the train depot parking lot is not scheduled to begin until the first quarter of 1995.