Council approves new apartment complex
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Downtown will be home to 200 more families when the Essex Portfolio LLP apartment complex is complete. The new residents will have pedestrian access to shops and schools. They will also be able to commute to Los Angeles without having to get into a car because the Metrolink station is just a short walk away.

The city council, Wednesday, approved a zoning change and a development agreement for the 200-unit apartment complex slated to be built on 10.5 acre site south of Casey Road and west of Walnut Canyon on the old high school site behind the Civic Center.

"The development provides tremendous public benefits with market rate and affordable housing, and land for the expansion of the new Civic Center," said Wayne Colmer, property owner Wayne Colmer.

The residential complex will primarily be accessed from Casey Road with an emergency way in and out to High Street, said Barry Hogan, deputy city manager. The city will be able to upgrade the emergency access to a full access if there are problems with the Casey Road access, he said.

The complex will have 94 onebedroom units, 98 two-bedroom units and eight three bedroom apartments in nine three-story buildings. Construction should start in about 6 to 8 months, said Hogan.

An affordable housing agreement to set aside at least 40 units for low income households will be finalized on Aug. 1. The apartments will be available on a priority basis for Moorpark resident. The developer may even provide 50 units to low income families if a bond financing arrangements goes through.

Essex is a real estate investment trust that owns and manages about 27,000 apartment units on the west coast, including the recently completed projects in Simi Valley and Oxnard.

"We're proud of the community we create. We're a long term shareholder and the company is recognized for doing what it promises to do," said Maura Lederer, first vice president for Essex.

Lederer told officials that the development follows the vision of city leaders to create a livable environment that promotes walking to school, shops and even the High Street Arts Center.

Children who live in the new complex will have easy access to the Boys and Girls Club and parks. The proximity of the Metrolink train station is a valuable benefit to the residents, Lederer added.

In other matters, city officials voted to donate the mammoth fossils to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Council also approved a new Civic Center architectural design contract, valued at about $2 million. Plans include a "green" design to make the city headquarters more environmentally friendly. The Moorpark Acorn will feature a story about this matter next week.