UC San Diego Health cuts Rancho Bernardo facility to 89,000 sq. ft.

UC San Diego Health will build a three-story, 89,000-square-foot medical facility in Rancho Bernardo, down from the 150,000-square-foot, five-story building announced in 2024.

Gabby Wilson, UC San Diego Health's senior director of strategic initiatives, presented the updated plans at the Rancho Bernardo Community Council's virtual meeting on Sept. 3. Grading has begun on the 3.09-acre site near the intersection of Bernardo Center Drive and Interstate 15, and construction is scheduled to start around mid-October, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Patients should begin using the facility in early to mid-2029, said Pietro Martinez, vice president of architecture and construction at PMB.

The project's estimated cost dropped to $160 million to $200 million, down from the original $175 million to $225 million range. The accompanying parking garage shrank from 620 spaces to 352, according to UC San Diego Health media relations manager Kim Coutts.

The new building will replace UC San Diego Health's existing clinic on Via Tazon, a roughly 55,000-square-foot facility the health system has leased since 2018. As of 2024, that clinic served more than 12,400 patients annually across 15 specialties through nearly 16,000 visits, according to the Union-Tribune's earlier reporting.

UC San Diego Health cited COVID-related delays and a decision to refine the facility's services as reasons for the smaller footprint and pushed-back timeline. The building was originally expected to open by fall 2026.

"The goal remains the same, to make it easier for patients in Rancho Bernardo to access high quality care closer to home," Wilson said at the Sept. 3 meeting.

The new facility will offer primary and specialty care, express care, imaging and radiology, lab services, pharmacy and rehabilitation services, according to UC San Diego Health. Which advanced services from the original plan will be included has not been announced.

Wilson also pointed to UC San Diego Health's new partnership with Palomar Health. The two systems formed a Joint Powers Authority that took effect July 1, creating a combined entity called Palomar UC San Diego Health. The JPA serves nearly one million people across North San Diego County and oversees the Escondido and Poway hospitals.

Nearby residents raised concerns about construction noise at the Sept. 3 meeting. One community council member recalled nighttime truck deliveries during construction of apartments at the transit center and urged the project team to keep work within appropriate hours. UC San Diego Health representatives said they would give advance notice before any necessary overnight construction.

The project will also change traffic patterns. Martinez said a new right-turn lane for westbound travelers and a new traffic signal for eastbound travelers are planned near the site. All construction staging and parking will remain on site, and traffic control has been coordinated with the City of San Diego.

The fate of the Via Tazon clinic after the new building opens has not been announced.