Council OKs Permit Parking Near School

Some neighbors of Moorpark High School, annoyed that their streets have turned into an extended student parking lot, have persuaded the city to issue parking permits for their area.

The City Council this week tentatively approved a request by members of the Willows II Home Owners Assn. to create permit parking on their streets. Council members may vote on a resolution establishing the permit system at their March 19 meeting.

Once the system is in place, permits will be required to park on a series of streets just east of the high school from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. The permits, which will be issued to those who can prove they reside in the area, will be free. The streets affected include Willow Springs, Willow Hill, Willow Forest and Willow Grove.

Residents had complained that students were filling their neighborhood with cars and, in some cases, blocking access to fire hydrants and mail boxes.

City staff had recommended that the council wait until September before deciding the issue, saying the school district had plans to expand a parking lot at the school. But council members said the problems warranted immediate action.

The city already has one area with permit parking, established in 1990 in a neighborhood near Moorpark College.