CYPRESS : Swap Meet Plan for Racecourse OKd

A plan to operate a swap meet for five years at Los Alamitos Race Course won City Council approval this week after three hours of scrutiny.

Lloyd Arnold, one of the racecourse owners, persuaded the council to vote unanimously for the plan by promising to pay for any street improvements needed to accommodate swap meet traffic. He also promised measures to deter shoppers from parking on neighborhood streets.

Neighbors of the racecourse had complained that the swap meet, which will operate Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., would create traffic and parking problems on their streets.

“All we’re trying to do is just find a way to get some income and by doing so, the city gets income,” Arnold said.

But Los Alamitos resident Lois Waddle said she is concerned about traffic and parking in her neighborhood.

“I just foresee a tremendous traffic jam,” she said.

The swap meet will sit on about 33 acres at the northwest corner of Katella Avenue and Walker Street, property that has been vacant for 50 years, Arnold said.

He said he expects to open the meet within five months. He said he expects no more than 7,000 visitors each day the swap meet is open. There will be no admission fee for the first two years, city officials and Arnold agreed.

The council is allowing Arnold to operate the swap meet under several conditions. These include installing portable toilets and repairing and landscaping the entrance of the racetrack.