VISTA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is looking to purchase the Green Oak Ranch property in Vista to create a proposed $280 million sober living and behavioral health treatment facility to fill a critical service gap in the region.
Supervisors are eyeing an approximately 110-acre portion of Green Oak Ranch’s total 142 acres that was put up for sale almost a year after the passing of the land’s former owner, Arie de Jong, last April. The parcel for sale includes a summer camp and retreat facility that has hosted thousands of youth over the years, as well as an RV park and a residential men’s recovery program.
Last week, the Board of Supervisors directed interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi to begin negotiations with the owners of Green Oak Ranch with a $300,000 earnest deposit for the estimated $12 million purchase.
Supervisor Jim Desmond, whose district includes most of North County, said the land just south of state Route 78 is an oasis that could help the county meet its desperate need for regional behavioral health facilities.
“This item is a unique and extraordinary opportunity for a future regional behavioral health site in San Diego County,” Desmond said. “We need sites for healing, for people to be safely discharged, to free up our hospital beds.”
Despite the potential benefits of behavioral health treatment, faith-based nonprofit Green Oak Ranch Ministries, which operates the recovery program, said it would have a lot to lose if the land was sold.
The organization’s executive director, Hannah Gailey, said the recovery and sober living program receives 85% of its funding from revenue generated by the summer camps, retreats and RV park rentals and does not receive any government funding.
The nine-month program helps participants recover through a community model involving group and individual services and support.
“We think it’s really a tragedy for the community to lose the retreat center, and we believe that everyone needs this space, but we should not harm one organization to make way for another,” Gailey said. “Green Oak Ranch Ministries operates without government funding and will now rely much more heavily on donations.”
Despite this, Green Oak Ranch Ministries will be able to continue operating on another 28-acre area of the ranch that is not up for sale. The nonprofit is currently preparing to open a house for women and children on-site next month.
“Even if we lose ground, Green Oak Ranch Ministries will continue to expand,” Gailey said.
Aside from the county, sources say that other buyers are also bidding for the property. The Vista City Council discussed real property negotiations regarding Green Oak Ranch in a closed-session meeting last week, but a city spokesperson declined to comment on whether the city was interested in buying the land.
Vista Mayor John Franklin said he supports the building of more mental health infrastructure, but he does have concerns about impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. He said he is also eager to receive more details about what is proposed for the site.
“I’m already hearing from constituents in the neighborhood that have strong concerns, and I share their sense of urgency to address their concerns. I believe that the people of Vista need to have maximum transparency about what’s going to be built there, who’s going to be served there, and how it’s going to impact the surrounding neighborhood,” Franklin said.
While the ranch campus is surrounded by residential areas, operations are mostly hidden from view due to heavy brush covering a large portion of the property.
Supervisors said the center would include round-the-clock security, job training, educational opportunities and recreational facilities, in addition to mental health and substance addiction treatment, including withdrawal management beds, recovery residences, and board and care.
Staff said the county would also work to ensure that people are placed in long-term housing once they leave the Green Oak campus.
National CORE, Interfaith Community Services, San Diego Rescue Mission, and Scripps Health wrote letters of support for the facility to the Board of Supervisors.
“This initiative will help save lives by serving those hard-to-reach individuals with severe mental illness and/or substance use problems who are living on the street and have been unable or unwilling to participate in traditional treatment and supportive services,” said Interfaith CEO Greg Anglea.
The Coast News wire service contributed to this story.
