Moorpark City Hall Moves to 323 Science Drive on November 4!

Moorpark City Hall is on the move! The City of Moorpark is pleased to announce that, effective on Monday, November 4, City Hall offices will reopen at:

• 323 Science Drive
  Moorpark, CA 93021

City Hall offices will be closed to the public on Friday, November 1, to facilitate the move. City staff will be working and be available by telephone and E-mail during the move, and the City's online permitting portal (www.moorparkca.gov/SHOP) will also continuously be up and running during this period. The City Hall phone number will remain the same: (805) 517-6200.

The City completed the purchase of the 323 Science Drive office building in February 2022 and hired SVA Architects the same month to develop plans for comprehensive tenant improvements to reconfigure the building to provide needed office space, create a new public counter, and construct a new City Council chamber. Originally constructed in 1999, the building also received a number of upgrades to address various maintenance issues, including a new roof and HVAC system. Mayor Chris Enegren noted: "The new City Hall will be a source of pride for all Moorpark residents and employees. It will not only represent our commitment to the city's future, but also allow our staff to work more efficiently, providing a higher level of support to our community and the businesses choosing to grow in Moorpark."

At 22,464 sq. ft., the new City Hall enables the City to consolidate its operations into a single building that will house the Community Development, Public Works, Finance, and Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Departments, as well as the City Manager's Office. A single public counter for all permitting, business licensing, human resources, and records requests will now be available to customers. Prior to the move, these operations were spread across two buildings and three temporary trailers on two separate campuses across the city.

Bringing City staff together into a single building will also streamline internal operations to enable better customer service delivery to Moorpark residents and businesses. Said Brown: "We are in the business of people helping people, and we do that best when we are together."

Moorpark's current Civic Center and City Hall complex located at 799 Moorpark Avenue was built by the County of Ventura in 1980, prior to Moorpark's incorporation in 1983. The main Administration Building was built in 1987. In the late 1990s and mid 2000s, the City added three temporary trailers necessary to house an expanded staff. The trailers are past their useful life and have suffered from numerous maintenance problems in recent years, including roof leaks that led to a full weeklong closure in 2023 due to mold remediation. The City will demolish the trailers following the move of City Hall.

In 2020, the City Council approved a Civic Center Master Plan design for the 799 Moorpark Avenue campus, which was highlighted by the siting of a new Moorpark City Library building, which is currently in its final architectural design phase. In the very long term, the City intends to construct a new City Hall building on the site of the current Moorpark City Library building.

In 2021, the City retained Lee & Associates to identify potential locations for a relocated City Hall, which culminated in acquisition of the 323 Science Drive building in 2022 for $6,600,000. Following completion of architectural designs, the City awarded a construction contract for the new City Hall tenant improvements in 2023 to Monet Construction after receiving six construction bids.

Even after the move of City Hall offices, additional construction will be ongoing at the new 323 Science Drive facility. Customers will still see ongoing construction and moving activities. Primarily, the new City Council Chambers will not be completed until early 2025 while the City completes acquisition and installation of the audio and video equipment necessary to broadcast City meetings on the City's MPTV television channel and through the City's website (www.moorparkca.gov/video).

Accordingly, all City Council, Planning Commission, Library Board, Arts Commission, and Parks and Recreation Commission meetings will continue to take place at the existing City Council Chamber at 799 Moorpark Avenue.