Last year the county of San Diego declared the 1.32-acre parcel once used as the Dehesa fire station to be surplus to the county’s needs, and on June 25 the San Diego County Board of Supervisors set an Aug. 6 hearing date for the sale of the real property. The Aug. 6 Board of Supervisors meeting included an auction to address multiple bidders, and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation purchased the property for $650,000.
The property in the 5400 block of Dehesa Road has been owned by the county on two separate occasions. The current San Diego County Regional Fire Authority is the second county entity covering fire protection, and when the county previously included fire protection among its activities the Dehesa fire station and the property were donated to the county in 1976. In 1983 12 volunteer fire departments were consolidated into the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District, and the Dehesa property was transferred to that fire district.
The San Diego County Regional Fire Authority was created in 2008, and in 2015 the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District was consolidated into the SDCRFA. The property was transferred back to the county that year.
“It’s a beautiful piece of property,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “It’s a great location, right on the entrance to Sycuan Casino.”
The property has A72 General Agricultural zoning. The purchase of the property included the 2,555 square foot fire house and the 1,800 square foot fire engine truck bay; the Sycuan tribe will have the option of retaining or removing those structures.
Adam Day represented Sycuan at the bidding Aug. 6.