Damages Sought Over Street Closing

The owner of an industrial park has filed a $15-million claim for damages against the city of Agoura Hills, alleging that the city is responsible for closing a county-owned road that provided access to the property, city officials said Monday.

Los Angeles County officials closed Medfield Street on Aug. 3 after neither they nor the city would accept legal liability for it. A group of homeowners in the Old Agoura neighborhood had pressured both governments to close the street, which the group said has brought dangerous and bothersome traffic.

In a claim filed Friday by Dale Poe Development Corp., the company charged that its property values have declined because of the Aug. 3 closing of Medfield Street. The developer built the road in 1978 as a temporary route for construction traffic, without the official approval of the county, which retained ownership of the road when Agoura Hills was incorporated in 1982.

Before Aug. 3, the county had kept the road open to alleviate traffic congestion, at the city’s request. Medfield Street was one of two direct access routes from the Poe property and a neighboring industrial park to the Ventura Freeway. The other route goes through Kanan Road and Canwood Street, the city’s worst intersection for traffic accidents. The closure of Medfield Street has snarled traffic at the intersection.

Agoura Hills will decide Aug. 24 whether to deny or approve Poe’s claim for damages, City Manager David N. Carmany said. If the claim is denied, Poe could file a lawsuit.