March 1, 2021 –

Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing Project

Status:  WIN!

Why it matters?

  • Housing and Cost of Living
  • County Economy
  • Agricultural Industry Viability

A WIN FOR LOCAL AG!

On Tuesday, February 2, in an UNANIMOUS vote, the Board of Supervisors approved the Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing project.

Not only will this project add 360 much needed affordable housing units for farmworkers and their families in the Somis area, it will also provide a source of high quality irrigation water to support continued agricultural production in the surrounding area.

CoLAB is proud to have worked with our partners at VC Farm Bureau and VC Agricultural Association to support and fight for this project! We hope this approval is the first of many future projects to provide housing for essential agricultural workers.

PREVIOUS UPDATES

On Thursday, January 14, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing project.

This project goes before the Board on February 2 at 1:30 PM.

If approved, the project will result in the construction of a 36-acre, 360-unit farmworker housing complex - a great step forward in addressing the critical shortage of affordable farmworker housing in Ventura County.

This is the first project to seek permitting under the County’s relatively new attempt to streamline the approval of critical farmworker housing projects through a zoning exemption allowing farmworker housing to be built on AE-zoned land, as long as the remaining parcel remains in agricultural use and meets the minimum size requirement.

The Somis Ranch project will directly benefit local ag in yet another way – the tertiary water treatment system that will be built as a part of this project will provide high-quality water into the local aquifer – which has been deteriorating in water quality for many years.  Improving water quality in this basin will ensure that local farms have the water they need to continue farming.  This project is a clear win-win for local agriculture and the County.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

VC Star article, February 13, 2021 - 360-unit farmworker housing project near Camarillo on its way - The largest known housing project dedicated to use for farmworkers and their families in Ventura County has been approved and is due to break ground next year...READ MORE

Pacific Coast Business Times, February 12, 2021 - Real Estate: Ventura County approves its biggest farmworker complex ever - On Feb. 2, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved the Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing Projects, the largest farmworker housing development ever in Ventura County....READ MORE

Ventura County RMA Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing Project website

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