Council to Try 2nd Vote on Gas Station

Unable to reach a consensus on whether to allow construction of a gas station in an industrial park, the Moorpark City Council has scheduled a second vote on the project.

With Councilman John Wozniak absent from Tuesday night’s public hearing, the remaining council members deadlocked over the proposal to build a station and convenience store at Los Angeles Avenue and Condor Drive. Mayor Paul Lawrason and Councilman Bernardo Perez voted in favor of the project, while council members Eloise Brown and Pat Hunter opposed the plan.

The council then decided to hear the matter again at its Aug. 7 meeting.

Although the Planning Commission approved the project, several businesses in the industrial area appealed the decision, claiming a gas station could create traffic problems and lead to vandalism by bringing people into the area at night.

Some residents at the hearing agreed.

“I do not want the welfare of my home or my family jeopardized by any businesses,” Tim Kelly said. “A gas station changes a neighborhood, and this will change ours.”

But Nick Mitchell, who lives in the nearby Campus Park neighborhood, said the station would benefit area residents. Opposition to the project, he said, was a case of large businesses trying to use their clout to block a proposal they did not like.

“It’s David and Goliath,” he said.

Although the council did not reach a final decision on the project, members agreed to block alcohol sales at the store and limit the store’s size to 1,400 square feet.