San Mateo County leaders are suddenly slamming the brakes on a proposed Horizon Services behavioral health campus at 101 N. El Camino Real, after a wave of neighborhood pushback over safety, traffic, and how close the site sits to local schools. The project, pitched as a way to replace a shuttered sobering center and expand local detox and residential treatment, is tied to state grant money and earlier county funding commitments. A county-hosted town hall is set for next Tuesday so residents can press officials directly.
Supervisors Step Back After Neighborhood Revolt
Several supervisors, including Jackie Speier, David Canepa and Ray Mueller, have told county staff they are either rethinking or flatly opposing the plan after residents packed meetings and commission hearings. "I don't support the project full stop," Speier told the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Horizon Services is proposing a 69-bed campus: 16 sobering beds, 17 detox beds and 36 residential treatment beds. A county report notes that the state recently awarded about $25 million to help fund a new behavioral health facility at the site, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal.
County Had Already Put Up Seed Money
Back in October 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution committing $2 million in opioid settlement funds as the required 10% local match for Horizon’s application under the state Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. County records say that the match was meant to leverage roughly $20 million in state bond funds for the project, per the County of San Mateo.
Neighbors Press For Details As Provider Holds To Timeline
Nearby residents have raised alarms about the campus location, arguing it is too close to elementary schools and senior housing, and have demanded specifics on security, client screening and traffic control before anything moves forward. Representatives from Horizon told ABC7 that the existing building would be fully redeveloped and licensed by the state, and that the program is designed to keep clients engaged in treatment rather than spilling out into the neighborhood.
Horizon officials also told ABC7 they are eyeing construction as early as this fall, with operations potentially starting in March 2028. The outlet reports that a community meeting on the proposal is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Mixed Signal From Calls For Service Data
Public records cited in local coverage paint a nuanced picture of public safety around similar facilities. The Palm Avenue detox site generated about 33 calls for service in 2025, but there were no arrests on that block during the same period. The former sobering-station block logged one arrest between May 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025. Horizon and several addiction specialists say numbers like these do not, on their own, show a broader public safety problem, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal.
What’s Next
Supervisors who have pulled or reconsidered their support say they want more community engagement and clear operational safeguards before the county commits to the project. County filings put the price tag at roughly $20 to $23 million, and officials say the ultimate decision will hinge on additional hearings, public input and how the state funding process plays out, according to the County of San Mateo.
