San Mateo County supervisors delay Horizon Recovery Center site decision after public comment

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on July 2 voted to pull Item 1—consideration of the Horizon Recovery Center site—and rescheduled the matter for a later meeting to allow additional local review.

President Corso opened the special meeting and the board heard public comment from community groups, Burlingame officials and residents about site selection and client access. Ken Chan of the Housing Leadership Council told supervisors that while HLC "support[s] the treatment center moving forward," his group had a "clear preference for the San Mateo site" because it is closer to the people most in need and better situated along a transit corridor. Carol Eldridge of 1 San Mateo said the original location at "101 North El Camino Real is a superior location from a therapeutic point of view." She also urged the board that, if Mahler Road is chosen, the county adopt recommendations to provide transportation and colocated services.

After public comment, a motion was made to pull Item 1 and approve the rest of the consent agenda. The board conducted a roll-call vote and all five supervisors voted yes; the motion passed. Clerk Kim confirmed written comments had been posted to the public website and that the re-noticed meeting will provide another opportunity for Burlingame officials to appear.

Why it matters: Site selection will affect how clients access services, whether grant funding can be deployed quickly, and what complementary supports (transportation, veteran and LGBTQ services) are available. The board’s postponement allows the City of Burlingame to present its input at a later hearing. The matter will return to the board on the rescheduled date.