Ventura County Civic Alliance — Livable Communities Newsletter – Nov. 15, 2022

Traditional Developer:

Hitch Ranch

by Stacy Roscoe

On June 15^th, the Moorpark City Council unanimously approved the 755-unit residential Hitch Ranch development on 277-acres in northwest Moorpark. The largely undeveloped land is located north of Poindexter Avenue, extending about 1,700 feet to the west of Gabbert Road.

Comstock Homes plans to build 372 single-family homes and 383 multi-family apartments for rent. Single family homes will be one and two stories; the apartment buildings will be two and three stories. About 113 of the rental units will be affordable. Exact housing prices haven’t yet been determined.

The development will feature a seven-acre park adjacent to High Street that will have an amphitheater with a large lawn for community events. It calls for a five-mile network of trails that will connect with existing offsite trails. The circulation plan is designed to prevent traffic from flowing to just one or two intersections. It sets aside 29 acres for open space and a parcel dedicated to the city for the future development of more affordable housing.

The development will support Moorpark’s economy by providing more customers for businesses. In addition, it will add students to the city’s schools, which have seen declining enrollment.

When a lead agency approves a project that will result in significant unavoidable impacts that are disclosed in the Final EIR, the agency must state its reasons for supporting the approved action in writing. This Statement of Overriding Considerations is supported by substantial information in the record, which includes both the Draft and Final EIRs. Since implementation of the Hitch Ranch Specific Plan will result in significant unavoidable impacts, the decision-making body (the Moorpark City Council) was required to adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations when it approved the Hitch Ranch Specific Plan.

In today’s world of housing crises, it is notable that a project with some roots back to 1992 can be created in 2022. This may be a sign that not only is the housing crises is real, but it is also fixable with the right planning and process.

Publicly Developed and Funded:

200919-COVID19MOVRIN131-UCSANDIEGOERIKJEPSENDSC_2122-1024×683(2)JPG

Livable Communities for Students: Housing Community College Students

by Katrina Titus

It was the late nineties, and I drove as far as I could away from my hometown in Southern California looking for an extraordinary college experience. I landed at the College of the Redwoods, a community college in Humboldt County. I had saved up money working during high school, and my mom had saved $50 which helped me to be able to afford the deposit on a modest one-bedroom duplex for $225 a month. Last month on a trip to Arcata I drove past the quaint duplex where my higher education journey began and reflected on the starkly different housing experience of today’s college students.

While the minimum wage has gradually increased, the cost of rentals has skyrocketed past the affordability threshold, especially in the coastal communities of Ventura County. Aside from the challenges of housing, many of those who attend community college lacked a support system during high school that would have encouraged and guided them to apply for grants that could fund their educational aspirations and associated expenses, such as housing, to keep their focus on their studies. Many community college students are from families who are low-income or have been labeled as “unprepared for the rigors of a four-year university” (an actual quote from a 4-year college website, demonstrating the misunderstanding that leads to a bias against community college students). As such, community college students are often left to navigate higher education independently, with little financial acumen or guidance.

Locally, more than 50% of students at Ventura College are designated low-income, and need some level of financial assistance. In addition, 50% of these students are food insecure and 18% are housing insecure.

In October, Ventura College received $62.9 million from AB 183, a higher education trailer bill passed in June of 2022, providing one-time grants for the construction of student housing or for the acquisition and renovation of commercial properties into student housing for the purpose of providing affordable, low-cost housing options for students enrolled in public postsecondary education in California. The $62.9 million is expected to provide 320 beds within 95 units to low-income students. Anticipated rent costs are $400-$900 per month, and students will be able to use financial aid to cover the cost. This could provide housing for two percent of the school’s 14,500 students enrolled in classes, or roughly 11% of full-time students. While it will not resolve housing affordability, it will surely move the needle in the right direction to provide housing.  The plans for Ventura College’s new housing include a variety of sizes to support students’ needs. The proposed 95 housing units include 10 two-bedroom units for two students, 15 four-bedroom units for four students, and 60 units that are two bedrooms for four students. The Ventura College housing project will be located on campus property.

Currently, there are 11 of the 116 community colleges that provide on-campus housing. Other community colleges are exploring adding on-campus housing. As part of AB 183, the community colleges in Moorpark and Oxnard each received grants of approximately $250,000 to determine the feasibility of providing housing.

Construction on the Ventura College project is expected to begin in fall 2023, with resident occupancy as early as the beginning of 2025. Resident selection criteria, services offered, roommate selection and unit options are being developed now through 2024 with opportunities for the campus and community to provide input on what the final design, procedures, and practices will be.

Public / Private Partnership:

“Affordable and accessible childcare and education is a critical need among both CSUCI students who are parents and among regional farm workers,” said Nichole Ipach, CSUCI’s former Vice President for University Advancement. “Kennedy Wilson’s gift toward the construction of CSUCI’s future Early Childhood Education Center brings us one step closer to offering much needed childcare slots to Ventura County and an outstanding educational experience for our aspiring early childhood teachers.”

The California State University Channel Islands Site Authority was created to provide for the financing and support of the transition of the Camarillo Hospital site for use as a campus of the California State University. The area of east campus is ground-leased by the CSU to the Site Authority for the purposes of establishing a residential community to help facilitate the recruitment, retention and productivity of faculty and staff, and to generate funds for campus development.

The new residential project builds upon a seven-year partnership between Kennedy Wilson and CSUCI. Kennedy Wilson originally acquired an existing 386-unit apartment community, now called Mission Hills Apartments, as well as 15,000 square feet of retail from CSUCI in the adjacent University Glen neighborhood in 2016 and has since invested approximately $8 million to enhance unit interiors and the community’s amenities.

Work on the site began in April of 2022.