Planning commission approves San Joaquin County plan for SJB Well behavioral health campus, sends project to Board of Supervisors

The San Joaquin County Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Aug. 7 to approve a general plan map amendment and a specific plan to allow construction of the SJB Well behavioral health campus in the French Camp community, moving the project to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration on Aug. 12.

The amendment would change the general plan designation and zoning of an 18-acre site at the northwest corner of South Eldorado Street and Hospital Road to a mixed-use designation and adopt a specific plan to guide development of a multi-building behavioral health campus. "This project includes 2 land use applications to establish a comprehensive behavioral health campus to serve San Joaquin County," Stephanie Stowers, principal planner, told the commission during the staff presentation.

According to Stowers, at full buildout the campus is expected to total "5 75-ish thousand square feet" and provide roughly 500 beds. The project is proposed to be built in two sections, a South Campus expected in the first phase and a North Campus for longer-term transitional housing. The applicant and county staff described components planned for the site including a 16-bed psychiatric health facility, a crisis stabilization unit, an alternative-destination sobering center, 24/7 nonmedical behavioral urgent care, adolescent and adult residential substance-use treatment programs,…