El Cajon city leaders are preparing to study legal, financial, land use and policy options for a nearly 25-acre Kaiser Permanente property that has long been discussed as a future East County hospital site, according to East County Magazine.

The property sits at the southwest corner of East Main Street and Greenfield Drive, near Bostonia. East County Magazine reported that the City Council directed staff at its July 28 meeting to return with options, including possible acquisition of the site, after years of frustration over the lack of movement.

Kaiser officials told East County Magazine that development of the El Cajon property remains part of the health system's long-term capital plan and that the organization is still evaluating the site's future. The company currently operates outpatient medical offices in El Cajon but no hospital there.

For Santee residents, the issue is part of a broader East County access question. A hospital campus in El Cajon would be closer than many central San Diego options for some local families, but the council's action is still an early planning step, not a final decision on what happens next.