Camarillo touts recent affordable housing openings, loans and ongoing homelessness strategy

Mayor Kevin Kildee outlined housing activity in Camarillo, from market‑rate subdivisions to newly opened affordable apartments and down‑payment assistance for first‑time buyers.

Kildee said Vista Campanero, a joint project the city and housing partners celebrated earlier in the month, provides 59 affordable rental apartments already occupied and eight for‑sale townhomes under construction by Habitat for Humanity. He said the city provided a $4,900,000 loan and donated the land for the project.

The mayor named several additional projects: Lennar’s Cortona Community in Springville (about 159 single‑family homes), Williams Homes’ Palmyra Camarillo Village (285 townhomes with retail and 24 apartments, 10% of townhomes priced for moderate‑income buyers), Fairfield Residential’s Calixa Apartments (385 units with 20 very‑low‑income and 20 moderate‑income apartments), and a smaller nine‑unit very‑low‑income project on O’Neil funded by a grant. Kildee said full build‑out timelines for some projects extend to 2027.

Camarillo’s workforce down‑payment assistance program offers $50,000 deferred, low‑interest loans; 11 of 16 available loans have been claimed, Kildee said. On homelessness, staff are finalizing the city’s first strategic plan developed over the past year with Project Hope, focusing on prevention, housing and support services.

The mayor framed these developments as part of a long‑term effort to provide diverse housing choices and reduce homelessness. The address did not announce new ordinances or council votes during the speech.