Monrovia City Council Pushing Forward with $39 Million Land Sale to Gold Line

The Monrovia City Council is pushing forward with the sale of $39 million in land to the Gold Line despite lawsuits filed by property owners in an attempt to prevent a rail maintenance yard from being built in town.

The council will discuss the sale during its regular meeting on June 7. The purchase agreement between the city and the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority can be viewed here.

Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa wrote in his weekly report last week that the sale agreement could "ratchet up" the .

Excalibur Holdings, a company owned by George Brokate, is suing the Gold Line and Monrovia in an effort to block a from being built in town, but Ochoa said the city needs to push forward with the deal despite the legal wrangling.

"No doubt, the consideration of this proposed agreement will ratchet up the legal maneuverings by the party already suing both the city of Monrovia and GLCA on this matter," Ochoa wrote. "Yet, while the plaintiff, Excalibur Holdings (the owners of the former DEC property at the southwest corner of Shamrock and Evergreen Avenues), may try to block the City Council's consideration of this transaction, the council's deliberation on this matter is more important than simply weighing the pro's and con's of any proposed agreement."

A special budget study session will be held at council chambers Tuesday at 6 p.m. The full agenda for the meeting can be found here.