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, exceptional produce, and ideological resistance to development. Yet, as time moves forward, 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
Pleasant Valley Fields, a 55-acre sports park within the Village at the Park housing development. 2014.
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 called Pleasant Valley Fields.
Pleasant Valley Fields hosts the appropriately named Strawberry Cup youth soccer tournament.
Soccer fields at Pleasant Valley Fields, 2015.
Somerset was one of the final phases of the Village at the Park development in Camarillo, offering homes well above 3,000 square feet. 2014.
Village at the Park, Camarillo. 2014.
Village at the Park, Camarillo. 2014.
Somerset at Village at the Park. 2014.
Somerset at Village at the Park. 2014.
Village at the Park. 2014.
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.
Teardown of the Imation plant (north end), 2011.
Early development of the Andorra Apartments on the former Imation property. 2015.
Construction of the Andorra Apartments (north end). 2018. “It’s a nice piece of property, a very nice location,” City Councilmember Kevin Kildee said in 2008 when the Imation plant closed its doors.
Andorra Apartments, 2021.
3M Drive, 2011. The south end of the Imation plant remains visible on the left.
3M Drive, 2015; now the site of the ParkWest Townhomes and Andorra Apartments (south end).
3M Drive after completion of the Andorra Apartments (south end), offering 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments starting at $2,095 per month (as of 2018). By 2024, they now range from $2,600 to $5,800 per month. 2018.
3M Drive, 2021.
Andorra Apartments (south end). 2018
Future resident parking. 2018.
Looking north towards the ParkWest Townhomes, the final tract of farmland is turned over to complete the development of the Imation/Dawson Drive area. 2022.
Rancho Campana High School
To support the growing population, the city elected to build a second high school in the north side of town. The high school and a performing arts center opened in 2015, atop 27 acres of farmland. Plans for an additional 360-units of housing on 36 more acres were approved in 2021.
A sign marking the land: “New Camarillo Academy High School and Performing Arts Center” (now known as Rancho Campana High School). 2013.
Strawberry fields at what would become the new high school in Camarillo. 2013.
Construction of Rancho Campana High School. 2014.
Exterior wall of the Rancho Campana High School Performing Arts Center. 2015.
Rancho Campana High School, 2018.
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.
View of the soon-to-be Springville Development, Camarillo. 2011.
Construction of the Mariposa at Springville development, boasting new 2- and 3-story townhome-style condos. 2018.
Interior view of Mariposa at Springville, Camarillo. 2018.
Springville, Camarillo (main development). 2018
Springville Development in Camarillo. 2022.
The Scholle Farmstead, originally constructed in 1895, will be preserved and serve as a focal point amidst an upcoming 40+ acre, 158 home addition to Springville. 2022.
“No other county in the United States has more effective regulations against urban sprawl.”
— Camarillo SOAR Website, 2020.
An expanse of fields just south of Pleasant Valley Rd, the at-the-time boundary of development. Camarillo. 2017.
Village at the Park, Camarillo. 2015.