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Madera County OKs $20,000 purchase option for Oakhurst site to pursue behavioral health center
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 purchase-option agreement for a 1.02-acre property in Oakhurst, authorizing due diligence and pursuing state grant funding and opioid-settlement funds to develop a behavioral health center with crisis stabilization and sobering beds.
MADERA COUNTY, Calif. — The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 25 to enter a purchase-option agreement valued at $20,000 for a 1.02-acre property at 5 Junction Drive in Oakhurst as the first step toward creating a behavioral health center.
County Administrative Officer Joel Begay told the board the option secures an exclusive right to purchase the parcel through June 30, 2025, and that if the county exercises the option the $20,000 will be credited toward the purchase price. Begay said the optioned period would initiate a formal due-diligence window before any purchase decision.
Why it matters: Behavioral-health infrastructure and substance-use treatment capacity are priorities identified by county staff and the opioid-settlement advisory committee. The county intends to seek state grant funding to finance construction but said it needs the site control and local buy-in to be competitive for the anticipated NOFA expected around May.
Behavioral health staff said programming initially proposed for the site — perinatal residential substance-use treatment — has been broadened after data review. Prissy Das of Behavioral Health proposed the facility be developed as a behavioral health center that includes a crisis stabilization unit and sobering beds, which she said would increase local access and co-locate services adjacent to the Oakhurst Government Center.
Das said the opioid-settlement advisory committee “unanimously agreed to fund” the $20,000 option and has tentatively agreed to finance a purchase should due diligence support the recommendation. Joel Begay said staff will reach out to the community, validate demand data, evaluate downstream impacts and seek community buy-in during the due-diligence period to strengthen any subsequent grant application.
Board action: The board approved the purchase-option agreement and the transfer of $20,000 from the opioid settlement fund for the option. The action was recorded as a motion to approve and passed on a unanimous voice/roll-call vote.
Details: The property is described as Madera County Assessor’s parcels 064-071-005, 064-074-006, 064-071-007 and 064-071-008. The option agreement runs through June 30, 2025; staff noted if exercised between April 1 and June 30 a portion of the option fee is handled differently per the contract terms.
Next steps: Staff said they will complete environmental and community outreach work during the due-diligence window, then return to the board with a recommendation if purchase and grant-application steps are warranted. The county’s grant strategy team indicated a competitive NOFA is likely in May, which staff said is driving the current timeline.
Speakers quoted in this article are members of the county team and appear in the board record.
