Camarillo named fastest growing city in county
Village at the Park housing development drives growth
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

For the second year in a row, Camarillo ranks as the fastest growing city in Ventura County, according to a recent report by the California Department of Finance.

The city's population grew an estimated 2.4 percent, from 64,075 last year to 65,601 as of January 2007, state records show.

Camarillo's growth spurt, primarily driven by the new Village at the Park development, may be deceiving, said City Manager Jerry Bankston.

Bankston said that because the state uses new housing units to estimate population growth as opposed to an actual person count, the numbers are typically not as accurate as a federal census- taken once every 10 years. The state's numbers, Bankston said, are usually inflated.

Because Camarillo has less than 70,000 residents even a relatively small increase in housing would make the city one of the fastest growing in the county even though the overall population numbers are far less than other cities.

Oxnard, the second fastest growing city, showed a 1.7 percent jump in population. That number, though, represents a population increase of more than 3,100 new residents, as compared to Camarillo's increase of about 1,500.

Bankston said that if Camarillo's growth was charted over a 10-year period, it would compare similarly to neighboring cities.

Although the city only allows a maximum of 400 new housing building permits per year to help manage urban growth, developers can "bank" their allotted permits and build the new homes at a later date.

The Village at the Park developers are still building homes granted permits nearly five years ago. City officials said the housing development is about 80 to 85 percent complete and that once the final homes are finished, Camarillo's growth spurt will slow.

In the case of the new Village at the Park, Bankston said the state's projected numbers are high because many of the development's new condominiums are typically occupied by single owners as opposed to a two- or three-person family.

John Murray, a broker associate and realtor for RE/MAX in Camarillo, said younger buyers from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles are moving to Camarillo because the development's condos offer first-time homeowners a chance to get into Southern California's pricey housing market.

"Village at the Park does provide the entry level home," Murray said. "There's a great demand for the young individuals who are moving there . . . (they) like newer housing."

Murray said Camarillo- much like the rest of Southern California- has seen about a 5 percent slowdown in the overall housing market. The average price for a Village at the Park home is around $825,000, slightly down from last year.

Regardless of the recent growth, the Pleasant Valley School Disrtict is in the midst of school closures caused by declining enrollment numbers.

City and school officials are expected to meet in the coming months to discuss the city's future growth patterns and how it will affect enrollment numbers at neighborhood schools.

Bankston said the city's next large housing growth will be the the massive 170-acre housing and commercial development just north of the 101 Freeway between Las Posas Road and Central Avenue.

That project's timeline, Bankston said, depends on the construction of a new freeway interchange.

Recently Caltrans granted the city a conditional use permit to build the interchange, which will probably be financed by the city and housing developers.

The county's total population grew 1 percent to 825,512, while California grew almost 1.3 percent to nearly 38 million.