San Diego County supervisors approved updated zoning regulations for unincorporated Jacumba this week, a move officials say is meant to promote economic development in the small Mountain Empire town of roughly 540 residents. The vote drew support from Jacumba residents who spoke in favor of the measure at Wednesday's meeting.
According to KPBS, the proposal amends an outdated county ordinance to align local land-use policies with the county's General Plan, per supervisors' statement. The county says the measure removes legacy barriers to smart growth, expanded job opportunities and tailored private investment, also per supervisors' statement. Jacumba sits in San Diego County's Mountain Empire region on the U.S.-Mexico border, known for its mineral hot springs and the revamped Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel.
Residents Describe Daily Frustrations
Tanya Aiau, a representative of the Jacumba Community Center, said residents need more business opportunities in town. Jacumba currently has an inadequate bus system, and residents say their phones do not work reliably; the town covers just 100 acres.
Jeff Osborne, chair of the Jacumba Community Sponsor Group, said better zoning can help revitalize Jacumba. He added that the measure would let the community realign with its history and future vision, a sentiment echoed by the crowd of residents who turned out to support the rezoning at the meeting.
Supervisors and Builders Weigh In
Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer praised the Jacumba residents who spoke at the meeting, saying the board knows what they want. Andrew Malick, a representative of the San Diego Council of Infill Builders, said private investors should not have to contend with 1980s zoning rules to preserve a town core.
Supervisor Joel Anderson, who represents the district that includes Jacumba, called it a small but mighty town and said the rezoning is a major step toward providing residents with needed opportunities. Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, who co-sponsored the measure and represents District 1 — including the South Bay and communities on the U.S.-Mexico border — said she and Anderson toured each other's districts earlier this year. She said the two of them share responsibility for finding practical solutions despite their differing political perspectives.
A Town Shaped by Solar Fights
The rezoning push follows years of tension over large-scale energy development near Jacumba. As KPBS reported last November, the county approved a more than 600-acre solar farm, the Jacumba Valley Ranch Energy Park, in 2021 — a project planned to surround the roughly 100-acre town on one side. Residents filed an unsuccessful lawsuit that year in an attempt to block it, and the county later required developer BayWa r.e. Americas to donate $4 million to a community fund.
Jacumba has also drawn attention over the years for housing sexually violent predators, and residents have protested both that issue and the large solar projects nearby. Andrew Malick of the San Diego Council of Infill Builders said the town's proposal is designed to align with the county's climate action plan while promoting walkability and protecting open space. The county's General Plan, which applies to the unincorporated area, is described by the County of San Diego as the long-term blueprint balancing infrastructure, housing and economic vitality with preservation of existing communities and open space.
Jacumba's population today is a fraction of what it once was. The county's own planning documents note that in the 1930s, the town had developed into a top destination with more than 5,000 residents, drawn in part by its hot springs, desert environment and clean air. The county's Zoning Ordinance, which governs how land can be used outside city boundaries, is the mechanism supervisors used to update Jacumba's rules this week.
