HUNTINGTON BEACH : For Condos, They Rough It Willingly

Since early Monday, a growing number of people have been camping out on a downtown sidewalk, fighting boredom and shivering as the temperature drops each evening.

The mostly middle-aged campers have left the comforts of their Orange County residences for a chance to buy a new home--one of 67 condominiums a few blocks from the beach priced as low as $139,900.

By late Thursday, 34 prospective buyers had planted lawn chairs along Orange Avenue, hoping for a home in the Town Square-Huntington Beach complex near Main Street.

“I was stunned” at the opportunity, said camper Jim Horist, an apartment renter who arrived Wednesday afternoon and staked out the 25th place in line. Horist said he has taken off work to keep his place in line.

The camp-out is scheduled to continue until 9 a.m. Saturday, when the complex managers plan to begin accepting deposits for the condominiums.

Some of the campers said that they have been following the project’s progress since construction began six months ago, while others got word just this week that there was bargain housing to be had in Huntington Beach near the ocean.

The condominiums, the latest addition to the city’s downtown redevelopment project, are priced from $139,900 to $227,900. The units range in size from 878 to 1,378 square feet.

Horist and another potential home buyer have also assumed the role of camp coordinators. On Thursday, they were helping newcomers obtain information about the condominiums and organizing the nightly meetings where the group gathers to learn the latest developments.

Even representatives of home-loan companies have been cruising the camp, hoping to land new customers.

The complex managers, who last week authorized the camp-out and since then have been working to address concerns among the group, solved the most pressing dilemma Thursday morning by hauling in a pair of portable restrooms. The management also for the first time Thursday provided small heaters and a pizza dinner.

Camper Nancy Crowley said that she hasn’t slept well all week and that the days seem to drag on interminably but that she is coping with the inconveniences.

“Anything in life you really want, you’ve got to go for,” she said. “If it takes five days to get it, I’m willing to put up with that.”