MOORPARK : City to Weigh Plans for Downtown Site

Like cross-town rivals, the Moorpark City Council and Moorpark Board of Education have been wrangling over what to do with about 26 acres of downtown land the last seven years.

The pushing and pulling over the property off Casey Road led to a two-year court battle after the school district refused to sell a piece of the land to the city at a reduced price so the city could build a park. The case went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which in 1991 sided with the school district.

Now the City Council tonight is scheduled to consider a school district proposal to build 80 to 120 homes on a portion of the land.

Mayor Paul Lawrason said he was eager to discuss the new proposal but that there were many details to be worked out with the district.

Under the plan the district has put forward, Braemar Corp. would pay the district $3 million for 16 acres on which it would build single-family homes. The money will help the district build a new elementary school on the rest of the site.

But the deal depends on city approval of the plan, and City Council members have expressed concerns about the number of homes proposed, which exceeds the number zoned for the area. For the project to go forward, the district and developer would have to apply for a General Plan amendment to change the zoning, city officials said.

District officials worry that the zoning requirement might jeopardize the developer’s willingness to commit to the project.

District officials are expected to ask the council tonight to hold off on making any decisions on the plan for two weeks, which would give them a chance to meet informally with city officials to discuss the plan.