Horizon Treatment Services is asking San Mateo County for an additional $500,000 to cover higher construction costs at the Burlingame site where it plans to build a 69-bed sobering and treatment facility, according to San Mateo Daily Journal reporting published Wednesday, July 29.

The request comes on top of the roughly $13 million the county already spent to purchase the former StarVista site at 818–826 Mahler Road, as we reported July 24. The county's original required match for Horizon's approximately $25 million Proposition 1 grant was just $2 million.

Horizon CEO Jaime Campos asked the Board of Supervisors at a special meeting in July to raise the county's contribution from $2 million to $2.5 million because the Burlingame site is more expensive to build on than the original San Mateo location, according to Bay City News reporting via SFGate. County Executive Mike Callagy said the Board would weigh in on extra funding at a later date.

Crime data contradicts safety fears

The Daily Journal also found that arrest data from Horizon's existing Palm Avenue detox facility in San Mateo and the former Burlingame sobering station does not show an increase in crime near those sites. State and national data likewise show no link between treatment facilities and rising crime in surrounding areas.

Robb Layne, executive director of the California Association of Alcohol & Drug Program Executives, told the Daily Journal: "The data repeatedly shows that liquor stores are more dangerous than our programs."

The finding matters in Burlingame, where hotel operators near the Mahler Road site have spoken against the project. John Kellites, general manager of the Hilton San Francisco Airport Hotel, told a county meeting that placing a high-turnover detox facility nearby would deter visitors and reduce occupancy. Lisa Kershner of the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront told the Burlingame City Council at its early July meeting that her objection was not to the service itself but to the site, citing a lack of transparency with hotel owners and the broader community.

State decision expected by late August

The project cannot move forward until California approves transferring Horizon's Prop. 1 grant from the original El Camino Real location to the Burlingame site. Campos said at the July Board meeting that the state serves as "the final authority in regards to whether they would approve the transfer."

In her July 23 district newsletter, San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier wrote that the state's decision was expected within a month, suggesting a ruling by late August. Speier acknowledged the backlash, writing that both the Horizon and Human Services Agency projects met community resistance and that the county needs to be "more proactive in partnering with our cities."

Burlingame officials frustrated by process

Burlingame leaders have not opposed the facility outright but have criticized the county's communication. At the council's Monday, July 6 meeting, Mayor Michael Brownrigg said: "It hurts people's feelings when another city gets six months to think about something, and we get six hours, which is how it feels."

Councilmember Desiree Thayer said the city was thrown in at the last minute and expressed frustration with the process.

The council received updates on the Mahler Road project at its April 20, May 18, and July 6 meetings. Hillsborough has been monitoring the proposal since at least March 2026, working with residents and the Hillsborough City School District, according to the Town's civic alert page.

Political backdrop

The Daily Journal documented a broader pattern of Peninsula communities resisting social services facilities. In Millbrae, two councilmembers were recalled after failing to condemn a La Quinta Inn supportive housing project, illustrating the political pressure elected officials face when such facilities are proposed.

The Burlingame City Council's next regular meeting is Monday, August 17 at 7 p.m. The county has said it will hold community conversations with Bayfront business owners and residents while awaiting the state's decision.