MOORPARK : State Panel Approves Caltrans Yard Project
A $2.1-million Caltrans maintenance yard to be built at the east end of Moorpark has been approved by the California Transportation Commission, which holds the authority over distribution of funds for Caltrans projects.
The four-acre yard, to be built on Fitch Avenue, was made possible by a complicated land swap among the California Department of Transportation, the city of Moorpark and a local developer.
Caltrans had planned to build the yard on Los Angeles Avenue at the junction with the Moorpark Freeway to replace a small yard that officials said is outdated.
But Moorpark officials complained that the new site would conflict with a regional mall planned for the area, and would give drivers an unsightly first impression of the town.
“It’s a key location for the city,” Mayor Paul Lawrason said. “The yard would have been totally inappropriate at the entrance of the city.”
Moorpark attorneys took Caltrans to court to stop construction of the yard.
The alternative site on Fitch Avenue was found, and the city worked out a land swap with the developer.
The land exchange will be done at no cost to the city, Lawrason said. Construction of the maintenance yard is scheduled to begin in October.
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