SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : City Acts to Preserve Depot Facade
The City Council has approved an easement to ensure that the facade on its historic train depot will not be altered if the depot is sold.
The city bought the 100-year-old depot in 1987 for $1.1 million. It has been vacant since January, when a restaurant shut down. The depot is a daily departure point for hundreds of South County rail commuters.
The city has received two offers on the property, which it has listed for sale for $1 million.
Kevin Kudlo, the property’s listing broker, said the offers were presented to the City Council on Tuesday. The council, which considered the offers in closed session, may make one counteroffer on Friday, Kudlo said.
The prospective buyers had been looking to open a restaurant elsewhere when the depot was put up for sale, Kudlo said. The group, which includes an investor and chef from outside Orange County, are very familiar with San Juan Capistrano, Kudlo said: “It’s a very good match.”
If the city and prospective buyers reach an agreement, escrow could close within two months, he said.
In February, a plan to open a new restaurant in the old depot fell through after its proposed operators could not secure financing.
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