Country Meadows III Neighborhood Guide | Oak Park, CA Homes

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Quick Facts: Country Meadows III at a Glance

Country Meadows III is the final and most spacious phase of the Country Meadows series in Oak Park, offering detached single-family homes with no HOA, strong school district access, and direct proximity to Deerhill Park and trailhead connections into Palo Comado Canyon.

What Is Country Meadows III Known For?

Country Meadows III occupies the upper end of the Country Meadows pocket in Oak Park, sitting along the streets that feed off Deerhill Road near the Doubletree Road corridor. I have shown homes in this tract more times than I can count, and the first thing buyers notice is the size jump compared to the earlier phases. When Country Meadows I and II went up in the early to mid-1980s, the builder was working with tighter floor plans in the 1,200 to 1,400 square foot range. By the time Phase III was platted and built in 1985, the market was asking for more room, and the builder delivered: you are typically looking at 1,400 to 1,800 square feet, four-bedroom configurations that actually function as four bedrooms rather than three with a room that fits only a twin bed sideways. That distinction matters enormously to the move-up family crowd that circles this part of Oak Park. There is no gate, no HOA dues, and no shared walls. For the price point, that combination is genuinely hard to replicate in this zip code.

The neighborhood has an intimate, almost tucked-away character despite being walkable to Deerhill Park and less than a mile from the Kanan and Lindero Canyon intersection where most of Oak Park's daily retail life happens. The homes here are California tract construction at its most livable: mostly two-story, stucco exterior, a mix of tile and composition roofing, and yards that while not enormous are private enough that you are not looking directly into a neighbor's kitchen. The buyer profile I see here consistently is a dual-income family, often with one or two school-age children, who has done the math and realized they can get a detached four-bedroom with no monthly HOA fee, walk their kids to school, and still be under a million dollars. That equation keeps demand steady even when the broader market softens.

Floor Plans and Home Styles in Country Meadows III

The homes in Country Meadows III are predominantly two-story detached single-family residences built in a California contemporary style that was standard for mid-1980s tract development in Ventura County. Exterior finishes are stucco with either tile or composition shingle roofs, and the architectural profile is clean and boxy by today's standards, which works in buyers' favor because the bones are solid and the blank canvas invites tasteful renovation. Attached two-car garages are standard throughout the tract. Lot sizes tend to run in the 3,500 to 5,000 square foot range, small by Conejo Valley standards but consistent with what the builder was doing in this part of Oak Park during that era.

There are generally two to three distinct floor plan configurations you will encounter in Country Meadows III. The smaller plans in the 1,400 to 1,550 square foot range are typically three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath layouts with a living room and separate family room on the ground floor, an eat-in kitchen, and all bedrooms upstairs. The larger plans push toward 1,700 to 1,800 square feet and almost always carry four bedrooms, making them the most sought-after addresses in the tract. Those four-bedroom plans typically feature a primary suite with a private bath upstairs, three additional bedrooms sharing a hall bath, and a powder room on the main level. Vaulted ceilings in the living room are common on many of the larger plans and give the home a more open feel than the square footage number suggests on paper.

In terms of renovation, I see a clear split in the market. Roughly half the homes that trade in Country Meadows III have had at least a kitchen or bath update: quartz or granite countertops replacing the original laminate, cabinet refacing or full replacements, and LVP flooring where original carpet existed. The other half are still in largely original condition and price accordingly. The smart money move for buyers in this tract has always been the original-condition home at the low end of the range, because the renovation upside is real and the neighborhood appreciation has been consistent.

What Is It Like to Live in Country Meadows III?

On a Saturday morning in Country Meadows III, the neighborhood runs on a quiet rhythm that feels nothing like the traffic-choked corridors of the 101 corridor just a few miles south. By eight o'clock, you will see dog walkers heading down toward Deerhill Road, kids on bikes cutting toward Deerhill Park at the end of Doubletree Road, and a handful of runners looping out toward the Doubletree Connector Trail that feeds directly into the Palo Comado Canyon trail network. This is the thing that people who have never lived in Oak Park do not fully appreciate until they are here: the trails begin at your doorstep. You do not drive to a trailhead and park. You lace up and walk out your front door.

The neighborhood skews heavily toward families with children in the elementary and middle school range. Young professionals who bought their first home in Oak Park often land in Country Meadows I or II and then move up into Phase III when the second kid arrives and the home office situation becomes non-negotiable. Empty nesters exist here too, longer-term owners who raised their kids in the tract and stayed for the access to nature and the quiet. What you will not find is a transient or rental-heavy character. Most households own, and that ownership culture tends to produce well-maintained properties and neighbors who actually know each other. Halloween in this tract is a genuine community event. The cul-de-sac configurations mean trick-or-treat routes are safe and compact, and it is the kind of neighborhood where houses put out fire pits and folding chairs and families linger.

For daily errands, the Pavilions at the corner of Kanan Road and Lindero Canyon is the anchor grocery store and it is about a mile from most addresses in the tract. Coffee runs land at Cafe Sapientia in Oak Park Plaza on Lindero Canyon, which has become the de facto neighborhood living room for the work-from-home crowd. For dinner, Charcoal Niku at the same plaza is the local splurge: Japanese steaks, sushi, and a room that feels more Culver City than Conejo Valley. Tony's Pizza on Kanan and Lindero is the reliable Friday night call when nobody wants to cook. The overall daily-needs walkability score for Country Meadows III is moderate because you still need a car for most errands, but the driving distances are measured in minutes, not commute time.

Noise is a non-issue for the majority of the tract. These streets dead-end or terminate in cul-de-sacs, which eliminates cut-through traffic almost entirely. The only caveat I give buyers is that homes closer to Kanan Road pick up some ambient road noise, particularly at commute hours when the Kanan-to-101 flow gets heavy. Homes that back to open space or face inward toward the park are the quietest, and they price accordingly. Tree canopy is modest throughout because the 1985 landscaping is mature but never reaches the cathedral-oak character you see in older parts of the Conejo Valley. What you get instead are clean sight lines, a sense of open sky, and that hill-backed horizon that makes the Santa Monica Mountains feel like a wall of open space rather than a development boundary.

Country Meadows III Market Snapshot

Country Meadows III trades in a narrow but competitive band between $800,000 and $1,000,000, with the four-bedroom, larger-plan homes consistently closing at or above the $900,000 threshold when they are in good condition. The absence of HOA dues is a meaningful differentiator when buyers run their monthly cost comparison against the townhome and attached communities in the same zip code. Against the Oak Park median of approximately $1,050,000, Country Meadows III represents relative value, and the market knows it. Listings here rarely sit.

Inventory is tight almost year-round. The tract has only around 70 homes, which means even two or three active listings constitute a meaningful share of available supply. I typically see days-on-market in the ten to twenty-five day range for well-priced listings, with correctly priced homes in good condition drawing multiple offers within the first week. The negotiation dynamic leans seller, though not as aggressively as it did in 2021 and 2022. Today's buyer can reasonably request credits for condition items found in inspection, but expect resistance on price if the home is priced at market and the listing agent has done their homework.

Country Meadows III sits in a seller-leaning market with very little room for buyers to negotiate on price alone. Where buyers gain leverage is on condition: homes that have deferred maintenance, original 1985 systems, or cosmetic issues priced without adjustment will see longer days-on-market and more aggressive credits requests. Compared to the broader Oak Park market where the median is closer to $1,050,000, Country Meadows III offers a genuine entry point into detached single-family ownership in the OPUSD district at a relative discount, and that discount has proven durable through multiple market cycles.

Who Should Look in Country Meadows III?

Move-up families relocating from a condo or attached home. This is the dominant buyer profile I see in Country Meadows III, and it makes complete sense. A family that has outgrown a two-bedroom condo in Thousand Oaks or a townhome in Westlake Village is typically chasing three things: private outdoor space, no shared walls, and OPUSD enrollment. Country Meadows III delivers all three without pushing into the $1.1 to $1.4 million range that the larger detached tracts in Oak Park command. The no-HOA structure is a financial relief for buyers coming from HOA-heavy communities where dues of $400 to $600 per month have been eroding their purchasing power.

School-motivated buyers from outside the district. Oak Park Unified is an independent district with consistent state performance rankings, and buyers commuting from Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley specifically target this zip code for OPUSD enrollment. Country Meadows III is one of the most affordable points of entry for a detached home in the district. I regularly work with buyers who have been renting in Calabasas or Woodland Hills specifically to get their children into Oak Park schools, and who make Country Meadows III their first ownership target because the price-to-square-footage ratio in this phase is better than almost anywhere else in the district that offers full detachment and no HOA.

First-time buyers with strong household income. At $800,000 to $1,000,000, this is not a first-time buyer tract for the average household, but for dual-income professional couples in the $180,000 to $250,000 combined income range, it is absolutely achievable with a conventional loan, strong down payment, and the right timing. The appeal is straightforward: you buy a detached home in a real neighborhood, with trail access and top-rated schools, and you skip the HOA payment entirely. For buyers who have been told they need to "start with a condo," Country Meadows III often reframes that assumption entirely.

Investors and long-hold buyers. Country Meadows III does not see heavy investor activity because the rental yields are compressed at this price point, but for the patient buyer thinking in decade-plus time horizons, the case is solid. Detached single-family homes in OPUSD with no HOA have appreciated steadily since the post-2012 recovery, and the structural supply constraint of a 70-home tract means you are not competing against a builder who can add inventory. For buyers executing a 1031 exchange who want a reliable, low-maintenance hold in a stable school-district market, Country Meadows III deserves a look.

Pros and Cons of Country Meadows III

Pros

• No HOA and no monthly dues, saving buyers $300 to $600 per month compared to many Oak Park communities
• Detached single-family construction throughout, no shared walls
• Largest floor plans in the Country Meadows series, with genuine four-bedroom configurations available
• Walking distance to Deerhill Park, which offers tennis, pickleball, basketball, soccer fields, and playgrounds
• Direct trail access to the Palo Comado Canyon network via the Doubletree Connector Trail, one of the best trail systems in Ventura County
• Served by Oak Park Unified School District, an independent district with strong academic performance across all grade levels
• Quiet, low-cut-through-traffic street layout with numerous cul-de-sac configurations
• Below the Oak Park median price point, offering relative value for a fully detached, school-district home

Cons

• Lot sizes are modest, typically 3,500 to 5,000 square feet, which limits backyard expansion and privacy for buyers coming from larger lots
• Homes were built in 1985, meaning buyers should budget for aging mechanical systems including roofs, HVAC, water heaters, and potentially original electrical panels
• Street parking can be tight on weekend evenings when families gather, particularly on the cul-de-sacs
• Homes closest to Kanan Road experience audible commute-hour traffic noise

Schools Serving Country Meadows III

• Brookside Elementary School (Grades K to 5) served by Oak Park Unified School District
• Red Oak Elementary School (Grades K to 5)
• Oak Hills Elementary School (Grades K to 5)
• Medea Creek Middle School (Grades 6 to 8) — recognized as a 2026 California Distinguished School
• Oak Park High School (Grades 9 to 12)

Specific elementary school assignment within OPUSD depends on your address within the tract, so confirm your exact boundary with the district at opusd.org before making enrollment decisions. What I can tell you from years of working with buyers here is that the school culture in Oak Park is one of the primary reasons families pay a premium to be in this zip code. Parents are engaged, PTAs are well-funded, extracurricular programs are deep, and Oak Park High School in particular produces strong college placement outcomes. The district is independent, meaning it does not answer to either Ventura County or Los Angeles County unified structures, and that autonomy has historically kept it focused and well-managed. For private options, the nearby Agoura Hills and Westlake Village corridors offer several independent school choices within a ten to fifteen minute drive.

Nearby Amenities and Local Favorites

Grocery

• Pavilions (Kanan Road and Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park) — approximately 1.0 mile. Full-service grocery, pharmacy, and deli. The daily grocery run for most Country Meadows III households.

Coffee and Cafes

• Cafe Sapientia (706 Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park Plaza) — approximately 1.0 mile. Single-origin specialty coffee, teas, sandwiches, bagels, and pastries. The neighborhood's primary work-from-home anchor.
• Starbucks (688 Lindero Canyon Road, drive-through) — approximately 1.0 mile. Reliable daily-driver option for commuters heading to the 101.

Restaurants

• Charcoal Niku (Oak Park Plaza, Kanan and Lindero Canyon) — approximately 1.0 mile. Japanese steakhouse, sushi, and seafood. The neighborhood's standout dinner destination.
• Tony's Pizza and Pasta (Kanan Road and Lindero Canyon Road) — approximately 1.0 mile. Fresh-dough pizza and Italian comfort food. The go-to Friday night order for Oak Park families.
• Los Agaves (Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park) — approximately 1.2 miles. Casual Mexican with a full bar. A consistent neighborhood staple.
• Sunrose California Eatery (nearby on the Kanan corridor) — approximately 1.5 miles. California-casual dining with local following.

Parks and Trails

• Deerhill Park (6700 Doubletree Road, Oak Park) — under 0.5 miles. Tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts, soccer and softball fields, playgrounds, and picnic gazebos. The neighborhood's front yard.
• Palo Comado Canyon Trail Network (access via Doubletree Connector Trail near Deerhill Road) — walkable from the tract. Options include the Shepherd's Loop (6.7 miles), the full Palo Comado Canyon Trail (9.1 miles), and the China Flats Loop (6.9 miles). One of the premier trail networks in Southern California for hikers and mountain bikers.
• Sage Ranch Park (Woolsey Canyon Road) — approximately 4 miles. A 625-acre open space preserve with sandstone formations, oak woodland, and sweeping valley views.

Fitness

• Oak Canyon Community Center (Oak Park) — approximately 1.5 miles. Recreation programs, archery range, and sports courts managed by Ventura County.

Shopping

• Oak Park Plaza (Kanan Road and Lindero Canyon Road) — approximately 1.0 mile. Anchored retail, pharmacy, services, and restaurants in one walkable commercial block.

What to Expect When Buying in Country Meadows III

Buying in Country Meadows III requires preparation, not patience. Because the tract is only around 70 homes, inventory events are infrequent: in a given year you might see four to eight homes change hands. When a well-priced listing comes up, particularly the larger four-bedroom plans, you should expect competition. I have seen multiple-offer situations on properties here that were not even fully renovated, simply because a clean, detached, no-HOA four-bedroom in OPUSD at under a million dollars draws a concentrated pool of motivated buyers. If you are financing, get fully underwritten before you tour, not just pre-qualified. Sellers and their agents in this price range increasingly request proof of full underwriter review before accepting an offer.

On the inspection side, the 1985 vintage means a few things every buyer should budget for. Original roofing on homes that have not been updated is approaching or past its functional life expectancy, and I always recommend buyers get a licensed roofing contractor's independent opinion regardless of what the general inspector says. HVAC systems are often original or first-generation replacements and deserve scrutiny. Electrical panels from this era in California can include Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco equipment, which most insurance carriers flag; confirm the panel manufacturer and condition before you close. Galvanized water supply lines exist in some original-condition homes and will show up in a sewer scope if the lateral has not been replaced. None of these are deal-killers in a tract this age, but they inform your pricing negotiation and your renovation budget conversation with the seller.

Because there is no HOA in Country Meadows III, there is no CC&R document review period or association financial review to navigate, which simplifies the transaction timeline considerably. Standard closing costs in California apply: expect buyer-side costs of roughly one to one and a half percent of the purchase price, depending on lender fees and title/escrow selection. For sellers, commission structures have shifted following the August 2024 NAR settlement and are now fully negotiated at the time of listing. If you want a transparent conversation about what that means for your specific sale, I am happy to walk you through it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Country Meadows III

Is Country Meadows III a good investment?

By most measures, yes. Detached single-family homes with no HOA in an independent, high-performing school district have shown durable appreciation in Oak Park across multiple market cycles. The structural supply constraint of a 70-home tract means you are never competing against new construction or expanding inventory. For buyers with a five-year-plus horizon, the risk profile here is favorable.

What are the HOA fees in Country Meadows III?

There are no HOA fees in Country Meadows III. This is one of the tract's defining advantages relative to most Oak Park communities, where HOA dues commonly range from $200 to $500 per month. The absence of dues directly improves monthly affordability and purchasing power for buyers financing at current rates.

How are the schools in Country Meadows III?

Country Meadows III is served by Oak Park Unified School District, an independent TK through 12 district in southeast Ventura County. Medea Creek Middle School was recognized as a 2026 California Distinguished School, and Oak Park High School has a strong college-placement track record. The district's independence from larger unified structures has historically kept it focused and responsive, and it is one of the primary reasons buyers pay a premium to live in this zip code.

Is Country Meadows III family-friendly?

It is one of the more family-centric tracts in Oak Park. The combination of detached homes, cul-de-sac street configurations, proximity to Deerhill Park, walking-distance school access, and a neighborhood culture built around ownership and long-term residency creates an environment that families return to consistently. Halloween, youth sports at Deerhill, and neighborhood dog culture are all genuinely active here.

How close is Country Meadows III to the 101 Freeway?

The 101 at the Kanan Road interchange is approximately two to three miles from most addresses in Country Meadows III. Under normal conditions the drive is five to seven minutes. During peak morning commute hours heading eastbound toward the 101 on Kanan, add five to ten minutes to that estimate. It is not a freeway-adjacent tract by any stretch, which is part of why noise levels are low.

What is the commute to Los Angeles from Country Meadows III?

Door-to-desk for most Westside Los Angeles destinations runs approximately forty-five to sixty-five minutes under normal conditions, using the 101 eastbound to the 405 or surface streets through Malibu Canyon. Remote and hybrid work schedules have made this commute increasingly manageable for buyers who are in the office two to three days per week. If you are commuting five days a week to downtown Los Angeles or Century City, be honest with yourself about the drive time before committing.

What is the difference between Country Meadows I, II, and III?

The three phases represent a progression in scale and build year. Country Meadows I and II generally feature smaller floor plans and were built earlier in the mid-1980s, with some HOA structures and shared amenities depending on the phase. Country Meadows III is the final phase, built in 1985, offers the largest floor plans in the series at 1,400 to 1,800 square feet, carries no HOA, and is fully detached throughout. If floor plan size and the absence of dues are your priorities, Phase III is the right target.

Can I add an ADU to a Country Meadows III home?

California ADU law is favorable and the absence of an HOA removes the most common private obstacle to ADU construction in Oak Park. Lot sizes in Country Meadows III are modest, typically 3,500 to 5,000 square feet, so the scale of an attached ADU or garage conversion is more realistic than a large detached structure. Confirm setback and coverage requirements with Ventura County planning before budgeting, as this is unincorporated county territory rather than a city-governed jurisdiction.

Similar Communities to Country Meadows III

Country Meadows III occupies a specific niche in Oak Park: detached, no-HOA, four-bedroom-capable, priced in the low-to-mid range for the zip code. Depending on what you are optimizing for, whether that is more square footage, a specific price point, shared amenities, or a different neighborhood character, any of the following tracts deserves a look alongside Country Meadows III. I have sold homes in all of them and can walk you through the tradeoffs in a twenty-minute conversation.

• Country Meadows I — Similar because it is in the same Country Meadows pocket with the same school access, but with smaller floor plans and a lower entry price in the $800,000 to $975,000 range.
• Capri Townhomes — Similar because it offers an affordable Oak Park entry point ($750,000 to $950,000), though attached construction and HOA dues apply.
• Canyon Cove Duplexes — Similar because it is detached-feeling and priced adjacent at $900,000 to $1,100,000, though technically duplex construction rather than fully detached.
• Hillcrest Estates — Similar neighborhood character with larger lots and a step up in price to $1,100,000 to $1,300,000 for buyers who want more square footage and yard.
• Hillcrest Pointe — Similar school access and Oak Park location in the $1,100,000 to $1,400,000 range, with generally larger homes and views from higher elevation streets.
• Rolling Hills Estates — Similar single-family detached character but with significantly more land and larger homes; priced at $1,200,000 to $1,600,000 and above for buyers ready to move up.
• Monaco — Similar upscale Oak Park positioning at $1,200,000 to $1,500,000, with a more polished architectural profile and generally newer construction than Country Meadows III.
• Country Highlands Townhomes — Similar budget range at $750,000 to $850,000 for buyers where price is the primary driver and attached construction is acceptable.
• Country Vista Townhomes — Similar proximity to Country Meadows III with a broad price band of $650,000 to $975,000 and a mix of attached and detached configurations.
• Morrison Sutton — Similar Oak Park Unified enrollment for buyers whose budget reaches $1,750,000 to $2,500,000 and who want estate-scale lots and views to match.

About Davis Bartels

Davis Bartels is the founder of the DB Real Estate Group with Pinnacle Estate Properties (CA DRE #00905345). He has personally closed nearly 1,000 transactions in the Conejo Valley since 2009 and consults on residential sales, investment purchases, 1031 exchanges, and estate-level real estate strategy. DRE #01933814.

Last updated: 2026-04-18

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