Moorpark Unified $6.2 million sale of former community high school falls through

Isaiah Murtaugh, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
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The former site of Moorpark Community High School has not been used since the pandemic.
The former site of Moorpark Community High School has not been used since the pandemic.

A $6.2 million deal to sell the former Moorpark Community High School campus collapsed last week after five months of review, leaving the property owned by Moorpark Unified School District in limbo.

The 3.1-acre campus was listed on the school board meeting agenda for Tuesday as an informational item, saying that the sale agreement for the site at 5700 Condor Drive was "amicably terminated" on Feb. 21.

Superintendent Kelli Hays said in a statement Monday afternoon that the district was disappointed in the "unforeseen developments."

"The dissolution of this deal was beyond the district's control, influenced by external factors and business decisions that came about after the sales agreement between (the district) and the buyer was made," she wrote.

More: Moorpark Unified sells former community high school property for $6.2M

Moorpark Unified closed the site and moved its programs to Moorpark High School in 2015 amid declining enrollment and then rented the campus to the Ventura County Office of Education for career and technical education classes. That program shuttered during the pandemic and the site has been vacant since.

Moorpark Unified's board voted during a Sept. 19 meeting to sell the parcel and its 17,000-square-foot structure to Daniel Margolis, owner of Moorpark-based Command Performance Catering. Margolis could not be reached for comment.

The sale agreement contained a 60-day feasibility review period but district spokesman Daniel Wolowicz said in an email Monday the review window was extended in November and again in December.

The extended review ended on Feb. 18, Wolowicz said. The deal's collapse cut short what would have been 120 days of escrow. Previous information from the district said the escrow period would begin when paperwork was completed, but Wolowicz clarified Monday that escrow was in fact slated to begin when the review period was completed.

Hays said in her statement that the district "remains committed to considering the property's future, confident that a beneficial solution can be found."

Moorpark Unified planned to use the funds from the sale for capitol improvement projects, it said in a Sept. 20 statement announcing the sale.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark Unified $6.2 million property sale falls through