Impound lot taking over alleyway

NORWALK - An auto impound yard that lost a portion of its land due to the widening of the 5 Freeway is relocating - 50 feet east of its current location.The impound yard is located at the rear of 12836 Rosecrans Ave., behind the Big Saver supermarket. Caltrans acquired portions of the property as part of freeway widening efforts. The Firestone Boulevard frontage road that runs south of the impound yard is also being eliminated. Loftus Corporation, which owns the property, proposed the removal of a nearby alleyway and moving the impound yard 50 feet east, where it would abut single-family homes. City officials supported the plan, saying the alleyway has been a nuisance with illegal dumping. "With the closure of the Firestone Boulevard frontage road, the drive aisle between the existing auto impound yard and the homes has become a dead end," wrote community development director Kurt Anderson in a report to the city council. "The drive aisle in this area has been a continuing site of illegal dumping and its removal and incorporation into the area of the storage yard should eliminate some of the ongoing property maintenance issues on this property." Council members approved the plan Tuesday but with more than three dozen conditions. First, Loftus Corporation must build a 10-ft. block wall to separate its property from the homes to the east. The council also barred high-profile vehicles taller than 10 feet to be parked within 50 feet of the east property line. Among the other conditions: Graffiti must be removed within 48 hours No barbed wire Temporary storage or shipping containers are prohibited. In addition to the tow yard and supermarket, the property also includes Casa Adelita restaurant, cleaners, a liquor store and various retail shops. A nearby gas station sits on a separate property parcel but is also owned by Loftus Corporation.

********** Published: July 4, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 12