Vista’s Green Oak Ranch will continue to be a property that transforms lives.
The Vista-based nonprofit Solutions for Change will be the organization taking over the land.
For 25 years, they have helped families overcome homelessness and addictions, and they will be expanding their programs on the 110 acre property.
"(We) just keep crushing that churn of poverty, dependency; keep transforming families lives, keep having clean, sober living for our families to live out of, reuniting families that have been separated by CPS (Child Protective Services) and CWS (Child Welfare Service)," said Jason Ventetuolo, the vice president of community engagement for Solutions for Change. "That was 100% what the family wanted and what the Land Board was looking for, which is perfect for us."
“The family” is the DeJong family, who originally owned the property, and the Land Board is the real estate trust that put the property up for sale.
The deal with Solutions for Change almost didn't go through when the San Diego County and the City of Vista also showed interest in the land.
"We were like that 'Little Engine that Could.' We were just sitting there chugging along and all these big steam engines are coming along and we're like, 'Oh my gosh'. But we had a vision. We knew what we wanted and we had our mission.," Ventetuolo said. "The Green Oak Ranch land board ... had assured us like, 'Hey, you know, we want to go with you guys. There was just a lot of, you know, extra noise that was happening with with the county and with the city.'"
Opposition came from some Vista residents concerned over the county’s proposal for a campus of healing .
Tim Troncone, a Vista resident, found himself leading some of those efforts. "We were just able to start a movement basically, to get the whole community involved in this issue. We had 300 people show up to the city council, which is amazing," Troncone said. "So I just want to say 'Thank you' to our city council and to the mayor for just hearing our concerns as residents. And ...we were able to keep local control, which is really exciting for us."
He said the group helped spread awareness and involvement to other residents on issues happening in their community.
"I already changed the name of the group from, 'Protect Green Oak Ranch' to 'Just Protect Vista'. People have a voice on that Facebook page and our city council is on there. So people could get informed on issues and spread awareness to issues that are affecting them. We could hopefully come together as a community and support those issues and see a good outcome," Troncone said.
But the sale still raises questions about what will happen to Green Oak Ministry, the organization currently occupying the ranch and running a men's rehabilitation program and an RV park for low-income tenants.
They declined an interview but stated they will be restructuring their programs and are ready for new adventures.
Vista council member, Dan O’Donnell, still sees opportunity for a partnership between the city and Solutions for Change.
"I do genuinely believe that the city needs more baseball fields and just more recreational activities. So I'm hoping that we can try and facilitate some agreement to where we can put fields of some sort on that property. I think it's a fantastic space for it," he said. "It would benefit both Solutions for Change as well as the city and our residents. But we'll cover that when we get there."
Solutions for Change said there could be a way to find more green space for the community, keep camps and retreats running, while helping families facing homelessness.
"Our goal isn't to walk in there and say, 'Okay, everything changes, everything stops.' We want to continue with everything that we can. There's going to be a lot of planning that's going to go into it. A lot of discussions that have to happen. But we're excited about that," Ventetuolo said. "We want to have those conversations with the community leaders again, with the elected officials, with these organizations, with the different camps. 'Hey, what can we continue to do? How can we continue to support the community'?"
They are expected to move in at the beginning of 2025 and will be holding public meetings before the move for community input.
