AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SHORT SUPPLY.Byline: - Cecilia Chan The housing need is dire in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , which has a 1 percent vacancy rate and a median home price of $400,000, officials said Tuesday at the first public forum ever held on the issue. The City Council heard from its staff, housing officials and a Realtor on the crisis that's preventing schoolteachers, retirees and those working in the service industry from living in Thousand Oaks. ``Affordable housing is a problem within our area,'' said Douglas Tapking, executive director of the Ventura County Area Housing Authority, which owns seven housing complexes and pumps $3 million a year in rent assistance into Thousand Oaks. ``Where are we going to live? We need to make affordable housing a priority.'' Thousand Oaks has one of the highest market rents in Ventura County, where the average monthly rent was $1,035, said Ron Tornell, president of the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by Board of Realtors. He also noted the median selling price for a single-family home in May was $400,000, which means a buyer would have to have an annual income of $121,000 to afford to live in Thousand Oaks. Officials said many residents are paying 40 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads instead of the recommended 30 percent. With the city at 90 percent buildout The construction and implementation of a system. For example, "network buildout" implies constructing the network and going online. , scarcity Scarcity The basic economic problem which arises from people having unlimited wants while there are and always will be limited resources. Because of scarcity, various economic decisions must be made to allocate resources efficiently. of available land and funding sources are some of the challenges facing Thousand Oaks, city staff members said. Lack of affordable housing means more commuter traffic Noun 1. commuter traffic - traffic created by people going to or returning from work traffic - the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time on the roadways, overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. in residences and impacts on the job market if companies decide not to locate in the city because of problems finding housing for workers. Since 1973, the city has invested $13 million into affordable housing, said Mark Asturias, city housing manager. He said opportunities for the city include continued partnering with nonprofit groups and employers, finding new funding sources and the possibility of converting mobile home parks from renter to owner-occupied. Data from the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Association of Governments show a need for 2,951 new units in Thousand Oaks between 2000 and 2005. |
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