Affordable Prices Lure Hundreds to Line Up for El Paseo Homes

Hundreds of hopeful homeowners flocked to Del Sol Park on Friday, sleeping bags and coolers in hand, to ensure good spots in the line to register for one of 190 affordable houses that are part of the planned El Paseo development.

At the head of the line, which at 5 p.m. stretched almost the entire length of the park’s walkway, Oxnard resident Jaime Juarez played dominoes on a card table with friends.

Juarez and his girlfriend, Anita Lopez, were the first to arrive, at 3 a.m.

Although a slight chill could already be felt in the gentle evening breeze, talk in line focused more on the registration process scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. today than on the impending cool night outdoors.

“It feels great,” said Juarez, who said the reward of a home he can afford is well worth sleeping outside.

“It’s not just an investment--it gets passed on to your kids,” he said.

Homes in the yet-to-be-constructed El Paseo development will range in price from $89,950 to $149,950, with monthly payments estimated at $700 to $1,100. The project will be located on 20 acres north of Camino del Sol between Rose and Rice avenues.

The city of Oxnard donated the land and more than $1 million to aid with down payments and closing costs.

Henry Casillas, community partnership manager for the project, answered questions, ranging from whether tents were allowed in the park to specifics of the development, as he surveyed the growing line, which had already swelled to 500 people.

Many more were expected later in the evening as people got off work.

Casillas said the lights would stay on both in the park and nearby Del Sol Stadium through the night.

An Oxnard Police Department mobile command station, with six officers and one commander, as well as a first aid station staffed with two registered nurses were placed on site to ensure safety.

After registration papers are turned in today, applications will be reviewed for eligibility and qualifiers will be notified by late October or early November.

Oxnard resident Laura Welbourn, 28, lounged on a beach chair well past 190-people deep in the line. But Welbourn, who took off early from work, was still hopeful that she would get a home, since not everyone registering is guaranteed approval.

Welbourn said the affordable prices of El Paseo were too good to keep her away.

“I don’t think there’s any other way I could own a home,” she said.