Field Closed For Maintenance
Just an hour’s drive* from the heart of Los Angeles lies a respite from the concrete jungle and its ever-encroaching sprawl. Nestled on a fertile plain along the Pacific coastline, Camarillo is best known for its quieter pace of life, open views to the ocean, and its exceptional produce. Over time, I’ve watched as the renowned soil sprouted its last fruits in the form of pre-recession McMansions (and post-recession apartments), luxury auto dealerships, destination outlet malls, and townhomes starting “from the low $700s.”
*Typical traffic excluded
Village at the Park
In the early 2000s, the City of Camarillo approved the Village at the Park project, a decade-plus plan to turn 330 acres of top-designed Prime Farmland and Farmland of Statewide Importance – at the time growing strawberries – into 1,235 homes, 250,000 square feet of boutique retail, and a 55-acre sports park.
Pleasant Valley Fields now hosts the also-appropriately named Strawberry Cup youth soccer tournament.
Dawson Drive Area (Imation)
In 2010, the city approved plans to develop a 180-acre area, comprised of farmland and a manufacturing plant, Imation, that closed during the recession. Imation was identified as a hazardous materials cleanup site after decades of magnetic tape manufacturing. The buildings were demolished – and hopefully cleaned up – as they now host the 450-unit Andorra Apartments. The open space was developed for the 87-unit ParkWest Townhomes, and the farmland is currently under development.
Rancho Campana High School
To support the growing population, the city elected to build another high school on the north side of town.
Springville
The Springville Development is bringing another 1,440 housing units sited on 174 acres of farmland to the west end of the city. It is expected to grow beyond that with additional commercial and residential space.
“No other county in the United States has more effective regulations against urban sprawl.”
— Camarillo SOAR Website, 2020.