Low-income residents invited to apply for affordable homes
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Low-income earners who live or work in Moorpark and dream of home ownership will have a chance to make that dream a reality later this year.

The city will hold an affordable housing lottery on Oct. 17 to determine the order in which eligible families may purchase homes through the Moorpark First Time Homebuyer Program.

City staff anticipates that 25 affordable units will soon be available in Pardee's Waverly Place in the Moorpark Highlands. Through an agreement with the city, the developer is offering 12 three-bedroom, two-bath units and 13 fourbedroom, twobath units at a discounted price.

These homes will be sold for a significantly lower price than market rate, and they cannot be resold later at full market rate because of the strict conditions the city places on the property titles.

A similar affordable housing lottery was conducted in July 2006.

Only two of 84 prequalified lottery participants were placed in new homes in 2006 because a project that included 17 affordable homes in the William Lyons Meridian Homes project on Walnut Canyon Road was delayed indefinitely.

The 82 families who didn't get a home last year can reapply to participate in the new lottery, city officials said. The new priority list will be valid for two years.

Although prequalifying for the lottery is easy, most applicants are later found to be ineligible, according to David Moe, Moorpark Redevelopment Agency manager.

"Only one out of five people usually qualify for a home in the end because applicants must be able to obtain a loan, have good credit and earn a regular income," he said.

Lena Morse, who purchased her house through the First Time Homebuyer Program in 2004, put in the necessary time and effort.

Morse attended homeownership classes and counseling programs offered by Cabrillo Economic Development. She also saved her money for about two years to accumulate her down payment.

"A lot of people go into the lottery unprepared. But homeownership doesn't just happen. You have to make sacrifices. Don't go out and buy new cars," said Morse, who was No. 29 on the 2004 lottery list when only seven homes were available.

She managed to get into a three-bedroom house in the Moondance development in 2005 because she persevered and because other people who were ahead of her on the list failed to meet all the requirements.

Morse now serves on the board of directors for Cabrillo Economic Development and the Ventura County Community Development corporations.

The city previously worked with Cabrillo to administer the local affordable housing programs but staff decided to do it alone this time around.

Moorpark residents have highest priority on the list and people who work in Moorpark have the secondhighest priority. Participants must also attend workshops offered by the city before they can qualify to purchase a home through the program.

Meanwhile, the city is trying to create more affordable housing to accommodate the demand. Families that qualify in this year's lottery will be eligible for homes in other new or redeveloped projects built within the next two years.

Nine condos in a 26-unit development owned by the city in downtown Moorpark will be available to the First Time Homebuyer program, said Moe, adding the homes should be completed within two years.

The city also requires apartment complex owners to offer a certain number of units at a lower price.

Twenty percent of the units in the Essex/Colmer apartment complex to be constructed east of Moorpark Avenue at Casey Road will be rented at a discounted price to eligible families. The development was approved by the City Council last month.

Since 1988 Moorpark has provided 465 homes that were sold or are rented at a discounted price to families who have low, very low, and moderate income.

Including the city-owned nine condos and the Essex/ Colmer apartments, officials anticipate that 107 units will become available in the nottoo-distant future.

"We continuously work to incorporate affordable housing into new and redeveloped projects. We're actually one of the few cities meeting our affordable housing requirements," said Moe.