![\"Vista](\"https:\/\/www.manymansions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Barry-Street.jpg\")
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A\u00a0planned housing development will add 67 affordable housing units near Lewis Road in Camarillo.<\/p>\n
The Camarillo City Council gave developers\u00a0Many Mansions and the Area Housing Authority for the County of Ventura the go-ahead last week to build\u00a0affordable apartments and townhouses on the 2.5 acres of land where Stock Building Supply once stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of a project doesn\u2019t come before us very much,\u201d Councilman Kevin Kildee said. \u201cI have been on this council for 25 years, and this is the first project of this magnitude in affordability that I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The development, to be located at 2800 Barry St.,\u00a0will be called\u00a0Vista Campanario Apartments and Vista Campanario Apartments. In Spanish, “vista campanario” means view of the bell tower. The site is located near the St. Mary Magdalen Chapel in Old Town Camarillo.<\/p>\n
Developers will construct 59 apartments that will be restricted to extremely low-income, very low-income and low-income households.<\/p>\n
Low-income households make up to 80% of the area median income. Very low-income households earn up to 50%\u00a0and extremely low-income households make up to 30%, according to the city’s housing element.\u00a0The current area median income in Camarillo is $92,913, housing document says.<\/p>\n
The developers will also build eight, three-bedroom townhomes that will be sold to low-income families.<\/p>\n
Fourteen of the apartments will be reserved for households with family members who are disabled or veterans, said Jackie Lee, the city\u2019s principal planner. Seven of the units will be single-occupancy units, which are small, studio-type apartments with their own kitchen and bathroom intended to be rented for one or more months at a time, she said.<\/p>\n
Michael Nigh, executive director of the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura, said tenants will only pay 30% of their income in rent each month. A family of three earning $50,000 a year will pay about $1,250 per month for a two bedroom apartment. Nigh said the average market rate for a similar apartment is about $2,400 a month,<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a model on how you can do affordable housing well,\u201d Councilwoman Susan Santangelo said. \u201cHow you can do it and still maintain the character of your community\u00a0and be able to meet the housing need of so many.\u201d<\/p>\n
The developers will build a 60th\u00a0apartment for the property manager in addition\u00a0to the 59 affordable units, as well as a\u00a0playground, picnic and barbecue area,\u00a0community room and\u00a0laundry facilities.<\/p>\n
A total of 128 parking spaces will be provided\u00a0in a two-story parking garage, though some of the spaces will be located outside of the structure. The townhouses will have their own two-car garages.<\/p>\n
Nigh anticipates construction to begin as early as December 2022 with residents moving in on July 1, 2024, a year before the original estimated completion date.<\/p>\n
The total estimated cost for the project is approximately $37 million, he said.<\/p>\n
To make the development possible, the City Council changed the designated use of the property from industrial and commercial to high-density residential. The council also changed the zoning from light manufacturing to residential development with a maximum of 30 housing units per acre.<\/p>\n
The project\u2019s 67\u00a0affordable housing units can help the city meet guidelines set forth by the state. According to Camarillo\u2019s housing element, the state is recommending the city support the construction of 597\u00a0affordable housing units by 2029.<\/p>\n
The housing element is a document that identifies the housing needs within the city and offers solutions to those needs.<\/p>\n
The City Council also approved a waiver for the\u00a0requirement to underground surrounding utility lines and poles.<\/p>\n
The city will donate the 2.5-acre property to the developers, which was purchased in 2018 for $3.6 million, to support the construction of the project, Lee said.\u00a0The city will also issue a $4.9 million, 55-year loan to the developers.<\/p>\n
During a public hearing at last week’s\u00a0City Council meeting, local resident Stephan Lovstedt\u00a0said he was concerned about the number of residents the residential development would add to the area. He explained street parking is already crowded and wondered how the flow of traffic would be affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cLess people in a small area seems like a nicer community to live in,\u201d Lovstedt said.<\/p>\n
Armando Delgato, a member of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters Local 805, spoke out against the project. He acknowledged that while an environmental assessment of the project found no significant impact on the quality of the human environment, it failed to adequately account for air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you study an out-of-area workforce coming from Lancaster or Santa Maria,\u201d Delgato said. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of vehicles on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, he encouraged the developers to hire local contractors and subcontractors to help the\u00a0carpenters union’s apprentices grow in their careers.<\/p>\n
Nigh said the Area Housing Authority of Ventura County has a record of hiring local skilled laborers and encourages its general contractors to do the same.<\/p>\n