With more than 40 homes left to build, Comstock requested the Council allow homes to be downsized - and offer larger yards - for sale at a lower price. The new models would range from 1,625 to 2,141 square feet, down from the original range of 2,217 to 2,764 square feet.After the staff report, Planning Director Janna Minsk, also sitting in for Bobkiewicz as acting city manager, told the Council the proposal had brought objections from some residents of Ridgeview, who had concerns about their home values.Vice Mayor Jim Tovias said Comstock had told him “flat out” that if the homes weren’t downsized the development might not be completed. Comstock told the Council that even the banks are nervous about being in the lending business, another glitch for the development’s future as originally planned.“I would hate to have a home with the amenities it has right next door to a smaller house that looks not as nice,” but Councilman Bob Gonzales said Comstock “assured me” that quality would remain. The smaller models would be indistinguishable from the street, as Comstock said the frontage dimensions would remain the same.The Council voted 4-0 to allow the plan that could see land broken for the new, smaller phase of the project in about 90 days.
City Council approves downsized Ridgeview at Vista Glen models
February 11, 2009
Santa Paula City Council
Ridgeview at Vista Glen will still have the view, but the balance of the homes planned for the development above Santa Paula Hospital will be downsized after the City Council approved a plan meant to increase sales amid the still-spiraling market for new housing.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesRidgeview at Vista Glen will still have the view, but the balance of the homes planned for the development above Santa Paula Hospital will be downsized after the City Council approved a plan meant to increase sales amid the still-spiraling market for new housing.Before the Council considered the issue at the February 2 meeting, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz and Councilman Dr. Gabino Aguirre recused themselves due to their own residences being within 500 feet of the property owned by Comstock Homes.Comstock Homes bought the approximately 16-acre hilltop property in 2005 for $10.6 million, the winning bid at the bankruptcy auction tied to the demise of the former Santa Paula Memorial Hospital two years prior. The purchase provided the money for creditors to be paid, and opened the door for the county to purchase the hospital to reopen under the mother ship Ventura County Medical Center.The first housing crisis, when prices hit the roof, was followed by the economic and housing crash that Bob Comstock told the Council resulted in losses of $250,000 to $275,000 on each house sold in the planned 76-unit development.
