VISTA — The Vista City Council unanimously voted to declare a large vacant building on Sycamore Avenue a public nuisance amid ongoing issues with trespassing, a collapsed roof and other unsafe conditions.
The property at 650 Sycamore Ave. became vacant six years ago after the departure of its former tenant, Burlington Coat Factory. Since then, residents have complained repeatedly about the 85,000-square-foot building’s declining condition, and it has been the subject of ongoing code enforcement by the city.
At the City Council’s Tuesday meeting, Assistant City Manager Imelda Huerta said the city has noted repeated code violations related to stormwater, trash and debris, graffiti, overgrown vegetation and a failure to secure the building from trespassers.
The property has also had a partially collapsed roof since last summer, which trespassers have been using to access the building.
Council members agreed to give the property owner Charles Company, a subsidiary of Excel Property Management, 45 days to remedy a series of issues. If they are not addressed in a timely manner, the city is authorized to abate the nuisance themselves and then charge the property owner for the cost.
Mayor John Franklin said it is unacceptable that the violations have taken so long to address.
“We are fearful at this moment that we don’t have your full attention to this,” Franklin said. “Your property is a ground zero of the greatest festering sore in our city on the south side of town.”
The city code enforcement department obtained an inspection warrant for the property in early July and entered the building along with members of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the city’s housing and homelessness division, Vista Fire Rescue and other departments.
During the inspection, officials observed numerous violations, including trash and debris along the creek bank and stormwater drain, compromised fire safety infrastructure, unsecured access points to the building and accumulated combustible waste materials.
The property owner did address some issues leading up to the City Council hearing, such as boarding up entrances to the building, removing graffiti and clearing trash, but the city said many more issues are unresolved.
Ron Holly, a representative for Charles Company, said he shares the city’s frustration about the lack of progress and recognized why they were moving forward with the nuisance declaration. He said they are committed to redeveloping the property and moving forward to address the various issues.
“I don’t blame you for holding our feet to the fire, and I welcome that,” Holly said. “From a development perspective, we’re all in favor of tearing the building down. It’s just a matter of timing.”
In past years, Excel Property Management has proposed a 256-unit multifamily residential project to replace the commercial building. However, leaders say the city has been continually waiting for updated project plans.
Holly said the company is waiting on items from its civil engineer and plans to submit a project proposal to the city within 30 days. The company is also working on obtaining a demolition permit for the current building, he said, in addition to authorization from San Diego Gas & Electric.
Even if the building is eventually demolished, the city said it is crucial to secure the broken roof in the meantime to prevent trespassing in the uninhabitable structure.
City Councilmember Dan O’Donnell, whose district includes the former Burlington building, said there has been a lack of action on the part of the property owner. He said he would be willing to provide 60 days for the company to remedy the violations, but the council decided to set a 45-day timeframe and reassess their progress at that time.
“It’s not a failure of communication, it’s a failure of action,” O’Donnell said.
Charles Company also has more than $7,000 in outstanding code enforcement fines to pay to the city. The council briefly discussed whether to waive these fines while the company addresses the violations but decided not to.
A few residents also spoke in support of the nuisance declaration, stating that the city has been forced to spend numerous resources on enforcement.
“The old Burlington building, obviously, as you’ve seen, has been falling apart for years,” resident Kathy Bagwell said. “We are wasting time and money on this whole situation.”
Between July 2025 and July 2026, the Vista Sheriff’s Station has had 85 contacts involving the building, including 25 arrests for illegal activities.
