San Diego County Municipal Code § 2.2 Planning Context

In 2004, the County approved discretionary funds to undertake the development and submittal of the National Register of Historic Places-Rural Landscape Historic District nomination package and the Framework Management Plan (FMP) to guide the initial development of a historically focused county park, known as Camp Lockett, while efforts continued to transfer the site to the State. The Camp Lockett Master Plan and Rezone builds upon the efforts of the Camp Lockett FMP prepared in 2007, and follows the Board of Supervisors approval to convey approximately 167 acres of County-owned property to CLEEF in March 2016, and an additional 247 acres to various non-profit agencies (i.e. PSRM, SYH, MEUSD) in July 2016.

As part of the FMP, the County of San Diego actively worked with local stakeholders in advocating the development of a historic park at Camp Lockett since the late 1990s to memorialize its significance as a Buffalo Soldier installation and the last mounted cavalry base to be constructed in the United States. The FMP planning process lasted nine months and included data gathering, defining the project boundaries (Park Planning and Historic District), site analysis, park programming, and presentation and discussion of alternatives.

The County acquired approximately 670 acres of property in Campo in 1950 from the Federal Government and approximately 39.1 acres of property in 1979 from the Mountain Empire Unified School District. Approximately 258 acres of the property were previously owned by the County. The property is improved with buildings constructed for the Camp Lockett military post, which operated from 1941 to 1949, and additional structures constructed for County use when the County Probation Department operated the Campo Juvenile Ranch Facility on a portion of the site. The Campo Juvenile Ranch Facility closed in August 2015 and the functions were transferred to other County facilities. Remaining County uses on the property include a Department of Public Works road maintenance station, Sheriff’s substation, Department of General Services maintenance station, fire station, and employee housing. Other current uses on the property include a community center and senior center, both are operating under leases.

On March 1, 2016, the Board approved the conveyance of approximately 167 acres of the Campo property at no cost to Camp Lockett Event and Equestrian Facility, Inc. (CLEEF) for purposes of maintaining and improving the property to complement the unique character of Camp Lockett and the surrounding community. Other local community-minded nonprofit, educational, and historical preservation organizations, such as San Ysidro Health (SYH), the Mountain Empire Unified School District (MEUSD), and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum (PSRM), expressed interest in acquiring portions of the Campo property. These organizations intend to provide additional services to the community, expand educational programs, and preserve the historical aspects of the property.

In July 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved the donation of approximately 123 acres of County-owned land (County Parcel Number 2016-0146) to SYH, the donation of approximately 24 acres of County-owned land (County Parcel Number 2016-0147) to MEUSD, and the conveyance of approximately 100 acres of County-owned land (County Parcel Number 2016-0145) at no cost to PSRM.