Faculty Housing at CSUCI Campus

In response to the July 15 article by Catherine Saillant, “Home Prices Make CSUCI a Hard Sell”:

There is something wrong with CSUCI’s plan to utilize existing buildings if the university can’t provide affordable housing to incoming faculty members. Having grown up with the single word “Camarillo” imposing the threat of the state mental hospital on me and my associates, I decided to drive through it, shortly after announcement of its conversion to a four-year university.

I was awe-struck. There are literally hundreds of one-, two- and three-story buildings of Bel Aire style--white stucco, red-tiled roof mansions as well as communities of similar family dwellings--adjacent to the former hospital buildings that form the university complex and utility buildings.

Housing was initially provided for literally hundreds of doctors, nurses, interns and others. As an amateur architectural historian, assisting my son who is one, I would say conservatively that a billion dollars was invested over the years. Only half of it will be used for the campus and supporting industry rental.

It appears that too much emphasis is being placed on the opportunity for developers to build a “low-cost housing complex” for occupancy in future years. Why not let the professors benefit by reduced rental of the elegant but timeworn existing classic homes and condos and cleaning them up for themselves, as would occur if they were located in a less regulated community?

Charles I. Sweet

Port Hueneme