Committees to review housing projects




Courtesy KTGY Architecture + Planning
Renderings of the Beltramo Ranch housing project.

Councilmember Daniel Groff said he often hears community members talk about Moorpark’s high housing costs.

“There’s just not enough supply to meet the demand of people who want to live in our great community,” Groff said.

City officials hope that two upcoming housing development projects—the Everett Street Terraces and Beltramo Ranch—will help meet that need.

It’s still unknown when the two projects, which would collectively bring 107 units onto the market, will break ground.

Community Development Director Carlene Saxton told the Acorn that although neither project has been brought to hearing yet, the city is “working diligently” to bring both projects to completion.

“Housing is a top priority for the city,” she said.

The general plan update, she said, demonstrates the city’s dedication to moving projects forward in a timely manner.

But housing in Moorpark is still hard to find.

The past decade has seen few new homes in the city. Since 2010, just over 330 units have been built—an 82% decrease from the previous decade, according to the most recent draft housing element.

Roughly 70% of the homes in town were constructed before 1990, and it’s been 50 years since less than 340 homes were built in a decade.

The lack of housing has forced many young professionals out of the area and led to ongoing declining enrollment issues in schools.

In comparison, Camarillo, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the county, has 377 homes currently under construction and another 552 approved, according to its housing records.

Everett Street Terraces

In 2005, applicant John Chui requested approval for construction of a 60-unit residential building on 2.4 acres of vacant property at Everett Street and Walnut Canyon Road.

The project, known as the Everett Street Terraces, features two-story terraced condos as well as underground parking, an outdoor pool and a play area.

Former city council members served on the original ad hoc committee, which was established in 2007.

Several revisions to the project required new entitlements, updates to the general plan and downtown specific plan, and zoning changes.

As a result, the city must conduct an additional environmental review. Staff expects to have a draft in late spring.

The current council voted to re-establish the committee to continue negotiating the terms of the development agreement. Councilmember Chris Enegren, who served on the previous committee, and Councilmember Antonio Castro, volunteered.

While developers often want to build as many units as possible to make more money, Enegren said, council members will consider the building’s impact on the surrounding community, including traffic.

“Our job is to make sure the city grows in a responsible way,” he told the Acorn. “We can have a lot more contact with the developer, with the city and with the neighbors, so we can get closer to something that we need and want,” he said.

Housing, Castro said, is critical to residents’ economic mobility and financial stability.

“The Everett Street Terraces project provides us with an additional opportunity to increase access to multi-family housing,” he told the Acorn. “My intention is to support a high quality of living for prospective occupants while considering impacts to existing downtown residents.”

Beltramo Ranch

Last June, Costa Mesa-based Warmington Residential requested approval for construction of 47 single-family homes on 7.4 acres of property at Los Angeles Avenue and Beltramo Ranch Road.

Like the Everett Street Terraces project, the Beltramo Ranch project would require updates to the general plan and zoning changes. The application is under environmental review.

Council voted to establish an ad hoc committee to negotiate the terms of the development agreement. Councilmembers Enegren and Groff were selected to serve on the committee, though Councilmember David Pollock also volunteered.

Groff told the Acorn he believes the council’s interest in this project reflects the desire for more housing.

“We all want to see valuable products that can help with the housing need,” he said.

He looks forward to learning more about the development agreement and finding a solution that will please the developer as well as the neighbors.

“I felt we needed somebody who heard both sides,” Groff said.