Moorpark Reviews Plan for Downtown Revitalization

Moving ahead with plans to revitalize the city’s downtown, officials Wednesday night discussed a consultant’s report to bring more storefronts and shoppers to Moorpark.

In a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission, consultant LeeAnne Hagmaier of San Luis Obispo-based RRM Design Group presented a revitalization plan for downtown Moorpark.

More than a year in the making, the plan calls for broad changes in city land-use policies intended to make High Street and surrounding areas a pedestrian-oriented shopping district, with a rural, small-town feel. The first draft suggests a variety of remedies, including increasing residential zoning in the downtown area.

The city has already invested about $500,000 during the past several years on public works projects in downtown Moorpark, according to officials. Those improvements--such as decorative lampposts, wrought-iron benches, sidewalk repairs and new trash cans--have laid the foundation for a full-scale revitalization project, Hagmaier said.

“You’ve invested a lot in lights and new sidewalks,” she said. “We’ve recognized that and want to build on that.”

Planning Commissioner Keith Millhouse said the idea is to increase the number of people living downtown and to attract more shoppers from outside the area.

“You can’t revitalize it by leaving it the way it is,” he said. “That’s an oxymoron.”

Planning Commissioner Paul Norcross said the city needed to be careful with residential zoning changes.

“It’s very easy to end up with a disaster like in the older parts of Hollywood--where you have a row of beautiful bungalows and an apartment building in the middle,” Norcross said.

Councilwoman Debbie Rodgers Teasley said the city should not focus on adding residential zoning on High Street. Part of High Street would be included in an Old Town historic district under the consultant’s plan.

“If it’s going to be an area you walk through, I’d prefer it to be commercial,” she said.

RRM Design Group was also hired by Simi Valley to draw up business revitalization plans for Tapo Street.

That area, hard-hit by the Northridge earthquake, has experienced an increase in shuttered storefronts, as consumers have moved to other retail centers and shopping plazas.