VISTA — An emotional and, at times, intense town hall saw San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond outline a proposal regarding a treatment facility at Green Oak Ranch.
About 200 residents sat in attendance Sunday at the Vista Civic Center and peppered Desmond with questions about who would be allowed at the facility, potential impacts on the Shadowridge Crossings neighborhood and skepticism regarding the county being able to run such a facility.
Desmond said he was approached by the Green Oak Ranch land board, who oversees the 142-acre property off Sycamore Avenue east of Melrose Drive, last year about a potential sale and conversion of some of the property for rehabilitative uses.
Desmond brought the item before the Board of Supervisors on April 30 and the reaction from residents was swift, loud and mostly in opposition. The board approved negotiating to buy the land for $12 million, although Solutions for Change and the city of Vista are also in the mix to purchase the land.
Vista Councilman Dan O’Donnell, who district covers Green Oak Ranch, hosted the town hall so Desmond could further explain his position and how the potential deal came into place, and so O’Donnell could expand on his position.
“I’m here to share a vision if, and that’s a huge if, the county acquires the land,” Desmond told the audience. “It’s up to the trustees of Green Oak Ranch. One of the things I’ve been working on … is treatment. I’m not a fan of Housing First. Housing First allows people to continue using drugs and alcohol when they’re put into housing. If you’re dealing with homelessness and drugs and alcohol, you can’t have people using on-site.”
Desmond said his focus is on programs to help people become clean and sober. Since the state has shut down most of its facilities over the past decades, along with Tri-City Medical closing its facility, new ones must be constructed.
However, the county allocated $25 million to Tri-City for a new facility with 16 beds, Desmond said.
About 200 residents attended a town hall on Sunday at the Vista Civic Center to listen to San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s proposal for a mental health and substance abuse treatment facility in the city. Steve Puterski photo
About 200 residents attended a town hall on Sunday at the Vista Civic Center to listen to San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s proposal for a mental health and substance abuse treatment facility in the city. Steve Puterski photo
Desmond and O’Donnell also explained to the audience some of the land must be reserved for uses to “transform” lives after the passing of Arie de Jong, the former owner, in April 2023. De Jong’s will dictates some of the land must be used to help people in need, according to O’Donnell.
As for Desmond’s proposal, he said he does not support a Housing First approach, such as the troubled Windsor Pointe in Carlsbad. Windsor Pointe was a source of disdain and a failed approach as residents worried a similar facility would bring hundreds of calls for service from police and the fire department as has happened in Carlsbad.
Residents questioned the scale and scope of the proposal, many noting their concerns with the potential for an influx of people, some also citing Windsor Pointe. They said their neighborhood, sheriff deputies and fire department could be strained due to an increase of calls for service.
Demond, though, said any treatment facility will have strong rules and guidelines regarding entering and leaving the property, no using substances and acting as a transition point for people to enter rehab and then move into housing, among others.
“What I’m trying to create at Green Oak Ranch is where the income is people who are addicted to drugs and the outcome is clean and sober people,” Desmond explained. “There is a strong need for treatment and sober living facilities in North County. Green Oak Ranch is like a unicorn. It’s a unique opportunity to expand sober living and health services. I’m not going to put this thing forward if it’s not a neighborhood-friendly facility.
There are four proposed programs and those include:
1) Withdrawal management (detox) — 15 beds, average seven-day stay, medically supervised, 24/7 clinical staff and security.
2) Substance use residential treatment (post detox) — 45 beds, 30-day average stay, 24/7 clinical staff and security.
3) Recovery residences (sober living) — 60 beds, length of stay 90-180 days, transportation to outside services and discharge into housing.
4) Board and care (long-term assisted living) — 75 beds, 24/7 clinical staff, seniors needing help with daily life and security.
Desmond said the land is a “unicorn” noting the county will likely need just 10 acres, out of 47 that are developable, to build the facility. He said some people with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and others would benefit from such a facility.
Additionally, he said those in treatment must sign agreements and would be escorted on and off the property after their initial treatment as they look for jobs or go to work.
North County also has three crisis stabilization units in facilities in Escondido, Oceanside and Vista.
As for the rest of the developable land, Desmond said the options are plentiful and is open to working with the city to develop parks, ball fields, trails or other uses.
O’Donnell said his primary concerns are land use control where if sold to the county, the city would have no say as to the operations of any facility. He said while he believes Desmond is genuine, the supervisor is just one of five votes on the board so the supervisors could push the facility regardless of Desmond, or residents, have objections.
“I want to see that space activated in a lot of other ways,” O’Donnell said. “There is a litany of things that could be in that space. But the supervisor is right, it’s not up to us, it’s up to Green Oak. It could take years, if not decades, to program it. But if we acquire it, we control it.”
Mayor John Franklin said he believes cities should take up their fractional share in combating homelessness and substance abuse. In previous discussions, he and O’Donnell listed all the facilities already in the city such as the crisis center, jail, a shelter, Safe Parking Lot and two service providers, to name a few.
Franklin said a large-scale facility will disincentivize neighboring cities from creating their own solutions and push the burden onto Vista. Also, he said he doesn’t trust some on the Board of Supervisors to make the right decision for Vista.
“My concern is you’re termed out of the Board of Supervisors and there are whack jobs on there,” Franklin added. “They have advocated for all kinds of things.”
