Panel Backs Ford Dealer’s New Facility

An Ojai car merchant has received conceptual approval from the Planning Commission to construct a larger dealership, to be bordered by a new city park, officials said.

Bronk Vreeland Ford, the city’s only new-car dealership, will move about 50 yards from its current location along Ojai Avenue to a three-acre parcel it will share with the city.

The City Council recently authorized a zone change for construction of the dealership.

The project’s final approval is expected to come in two weeks, after the commission considers lighting and other details, said Planning Director Bill Prince.

“It will be a big improvement from what we have,” dealership co-owner Dick Bronk said of the new facility, an octagonal wooden showroom adjacent to a long, rectangular service building.