Item Number: 1
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: January 8, 2026
Submitted By:
Scott Webb, Deputy City Manager
Subject:
City Position on the County of San Bernardino Comprehensive Treatment Campus Project
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council adopt Resolution No. 26-005, thereby formally opposing the County of San Bernardino’s proposed Comprehensive Treatment Campus expansion in its currently proposed location and configuration, and opposing the award of State of California Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) funding for projects proposed within the City of Victorville due to the lack of community engagement, and further directing staff to transmit the City’s position to the County Board of Supervisors, State legislators, and relevant State funding agencies Fiscal Impact:
There is no immediate direct fiscal impact associated with adoption of this action.
However, based on information provided by the County of San Bernardino, the proposed Comprehensive Treatment Campus present indirect and unfunded fiscal impacts to the City, including but not limited to:
Increased demand for police and emergency medical response services Increased calls for service related to individuals leaving the campus voluntarily while still impaired
Increased service demand to serve unhoused individuals from other communities that opt to stay in Victorville
Potential impacts on public infrastructure, and community facilities These impacts would occur without guaranteed or identified ongoing funding to offset City costs, unless a binding cost-recovery or reimbursement agreement from the County is approved.
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Strategic Plan Goal:
Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Comprehensive Treatment Campus are not a Strategic Planning Goal for the City of Victorville.
Background:
Site History, Setting, Ownership, and Current Operations City records indicate that the subject property has been used as a drug and alcohol treatment facility since at least 1997, offering residential treatment services and associated day care programming under the operation of St. John of God Healthcare Services.
The property consists of approximately 29.47 acres and is improved with nine single-story buildings totaling approximately 17,770 square feet of building area. The site is located at 13333 Palmdale Road within the incorporated area of the City of Victorville (Attachment B – Vicinity Map). The following table lists the existing adjacent land uses and zoning.
Location Existing Land Use Land Use Zoning District
Project Site Health Care Center / Residential Single Family Residential North Undeveloped Land and Flowers Bakery
Outlet
Commercial
South Larrea Middle School and undeveloped
land
Single Family Residential
East Undeveloped and scattered single family
dwellings
Commercial and Single Family
Residential
West Silverado High School and Cobalt
Institute of Math and Science (CIMS)
Public Institutional
In 2023, the County of San Bernardino acquired the existing campus from St. John of God Health Services. Following acquisition, the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health (“County”) entered a contract with Phoenix House Orange County, Inc. to operate the existing facility. The facility currently has 66 treatment and recovery beds and an additional 16 beds to house children of patients.
Project Overview: Phase 1 and Phase 2
The County’s proposed Comprehensive Treatment Campus represents a significant departure from the historic scope and intensity of operations, transitioning the site from a limited residential treatment facility to a multi-phase, countywide crisis response and stabilization campus.
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Phase 1 Expansion (Currently in early stages of construction) Phase 1 includes the expansion of approximately 144 additional beds and services, consisting of:
Outpatient Co-Occurring Facility and Wellness Center
16-bed Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) 16-bed Adolescent Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Residential Treatment Facility 36-bed Adult SUD Residential Treatment Facility
24-bed Adult Withdrawal Management Facility
52 recovery residence beds
When combined with the existing 66-bed facility, total on-site capacity will increase to approximately 210 beds. In addition, the County’s current plan proposes relocating the existing primary site access from Palmdale Road to Cobalt Road as part of Phase 1. The County is utilizing $51.4 Million in Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) and $10.5 Million in Community Care Expansion (CCE) grants to fund the Phase 1 construction. The proposed site plan and floor plans for Phase 1 are provided in Attachment C.
Phase 2 Expansion (Pending Grant Award)
Phase 2 represents a material escalation in crisis management services, operational intensity, and potential community impact. Phase 2 is contingent upon receipt of pending grant funding and includes:
16-bed Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) providing acute care, crisis intervention, and involuntary 5150 holds
16-bed Adult Social Rehabilitation Facility offering supportive residential services. 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Unit, including 20 chairs for voluntary acute mental health episodes
Sobering Center, including 20 chairs for short-term, voluntary sobering of intoxicated individuals
Notably, this would be the first sobering center operated by the County of San Bernardino.
Sobering centers are a relatively recent service model, largely emerging from public safety realignment and diversion initiatives intended to reduce emergency room visits and jail bookings for intoxicated individuals. The City is unaware of any publicly available site suitability analysis, demand assessment, or alternatives evaluation supporting the placement of the County’s first sobering center in the High Desert region to serve countywide needs, particularly at a location directly adjacent to school campuses and youth-serving facilities. The preliminary site plan and floor plans for Phase 2 are included in Attachment D.
Permitting Authority and Public Engagement
The subject property is located within an R-1 (Single-Family Residential) zoning district, where medical uses are not permitted. Any expansion of the existing nonconforming use 4 5
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would typically require the discretionary approval of a Conditional Use Permit by the Victorville Planning Commission through a noticed public hearing, including mailed notice to properties located within 300 feet of the project site to allow for public comment.
In July 2025, City staff was informed by County staff, in coordination with the San Bernardino County Counsel’s Office, that the proposed expansion on County-owned property would be reviewed under County standards, laws, and codes. The County asserted its authority to exempt the project from local land use regulation pursuant to Government Code Section 53090, commonly referred to as the Intergovernmental Immunity Statute. By asserting this authority, the County serves as the lead agency for the project entitlement, including any public engagement, environmental review and building permit issuance.
At that time, City staff requested information regarding the entitlement and approval process the County intended to use, specifically to understand how public engagement would be incorporated. The County did not respond to this request. Subsequently, as City staff became aware of the full scope and multi-phased nature of the project, City staff met with County staff in September 2025 to express concerns and recommend that, prior to any expansion activity or the pursuit of additional grant funding, the County conduct outreach to the Victor Valley Union High School District (VVUHSD), given the project’s proximity to VVUHSD school sites; provide mailed notification to properties within 300 feet of the project site; and hold a public workshop to present the project and solicit community feedback. These recommendations were also transmitted to the County in writing immediately following the meeting.
City staff later learned that, notwithstanding these recommendations, County staff proceeded to obtain approval from the Board of Supervisors to submit an application for Phase 2 funding in the amount of $58,506,665 under the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) on October 21, 2025, and to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and award of a construction contract for Phase 1 on November 4, 2025. Both actions were included on the Board of Supervisors’ consent calendar and were approved without advance notice to City representatives or the VVUHSD. The County subsequently held a community forum on December 10, 2025, at the project site; however, City staff is not aware of the extent of public noticing for this forum, which occurred after Phase 1 construction had already commenced.
The vast majority of funding for construction of the proposed facilities is provided through State-administered public grant funding under BHCIP, administered by the California Department of Health Care Services. BHCIP has community engagement requirements as part of the application evaluation process. Specifically, applicants are required to “explain how stakeholders (e.g., local departments, county, city, etc.) and/or county behavioral health departments and community voices have been meaningfully involved in the visioning and development of this project.” The guidelines further state that applicants must describe how stakeholders and community members were engaged in identifying the need for the proposed facility types, including demonstrating due diligence related to zoning and planning support.
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Other than the City/County staff meeting in September 2025, City staff is not aware of any outreach conducted by the County to the City, VVUHSD, or other nearby stakeholders in connection with the multiple BHCIP funding applications submitted for this project in recent years. The Community Engagement narrative included in the County’s Phase 2 BHCIP application is provided as Attachment E.
In addition, following the October 28, 2025 BHCIP application deadline, City staff became aware of two additional BHCIP applications submitted by non-County applicants proposing separate facilities within the City of Victorville. City staff is not aware of any outreach or engagement conducted by these applicants prior to the October 28, 2025 application deadline; therefore, the community engagement contemplated by the BHCIP application requirements did not occur. Award announcements for this current round of BHCIP funding are anticipated in late spring 2026.
VVUHSD Opposition
The VVUHSD Board of Trustees was recently informed of the project and took action on December 22, 2025 to formally oppose the project location. A copy of their resolution is attached as Attachment F.
Given the project scope, setting, and level of community concerns, the Mayor has called a special City Council meeting to discuss the project and take action as appropriate regarding the City’s position.
Discussion:
The City of Victorville recognizes the County of San Bernardino’s responsibility to provide behavioral health and substance-use treatment services on a countywide basis and acknowledges the role of facilities that provide treatment, stabilization, and recovery- oriented care.
Based on the information presented, the proposed Comprehensive Treatment Campus expansion reflects a fundamental change in the nature, scale, and operational characteristics of the existing facility. The project would transition the site from a primarily residential treatment setting to a 24-hour, multi-component crisis response campus, incorporating both locked and unlocked facilities, crisis stabilization functions, detoxification services, and expanded outpatient programming intended to serve countywide demand.
The location of this expanded campus within a single-family residential zoning district and immediately adjacent to multiple public schools presents compatibility considerations that differ materially from the site’s historic use. The proposed expansion introduces continuous operations, higher patient turnover, crisis response activity, and a broader service population, which collectively alter the relationship between the facility and surrounding land uses.
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In addition, the County’s approach to project approval and funding has occurred with limited coordination and engagement with affected local agencies and the surrounding community, despite the project’s scale and proximity to sensitive receptors. Subsequent engagement occurred after key project decisions had already been made.
The project also presents potential fiscal impacts to local public entities, including increased demand for police, emergency medical, and other municipal services. These impacts have not been analyzed or mitigated to date.
Collectively, these considerations relate to land use compatibility, public process, and fiscal responsibility. As currently proposed and sited, the Comprehensive Treatment Campus expansion introduces operational and financial impacts that remain unresolved and unmitigated. Accordingly, staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 26-005, thereby formally opposing the Comprehensive Treatment Campus project, including both Phase 1 and Phase 2, at its current location, configuration, and proposed service levels.
The City’s position would remain in effect until such time as the City Council and the Victor Valley Union High School District Board of Trustees are satisfied that proposed services have been relocated to a more appropriate location and that any proposed expansion of residential treatment services is consistent with surrounding land uses and agreed upon by the County, the City, and, to the extent necessary, the Victor Valley Union High School District. In addition, should a countywide sobering center continue to be proposed within the City of Victorville, the City Council opposes its operation unless and until potential impacts to City public services are adequately mitigated. The City Council further opposes the award of additional Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program funding by the State of California for projects similarly proposed within the City of Victorville until meaningful public engagement has occurred.
Prepared By:
Scott Webb, Deputy City Manager
Attachments: A. Resolution No. 26-005
B. Vicinity Map
C. Phase 1 Site Plan and Floor Plans
D. Phase 2 Site Plan and Floor Plans
E. County's 2025 BHCIP Application Community Engagement Narrative
F. VVUHSD Board of Trustees Resolution