SAN DIEGO -- A proposal to incorporate a charter high school within a new downtown central library was advanced Wednesday by a San Diego City Council committee.

The plan calls for the San Diego Unified School District to pay the city about $20 million of bond money from voter-approved Proposition S to lease two floors in the library.

The money would be used to help cover the estimated $184 million cost to construct a new central library in the East Village, near Petco Park.

On Tuesday, the SDUSD Board of Education voted 3-2 to approve a letter of intent with the city to authorize the lease of the sixth and seventh floors of the project for a charter high school that would serve 400-500 high school students.

The Rules, Open Government and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted unanimously today to forward the letter of intent to the full City Council for consideration.

Council President Ben Hueso called the proposal "visionary."

"I think San Diego is very underserved in library services," Hueso said. "We are on a journey here to help provide educational resources to our community."

Richard Barrera, a SDUSD board member, testified there are now 5,000 high school students in downtown San Diego, many of whom have to be bused to schools out of the area.

"This is about creating a really fantastic option for students in our community to stay at home and go to school," he said.

Both Councilman Kevin Faulconer and Councilwoman Donna Frye expressed concern about the $184 million estimated cost of the project, suggesting the price could be much higher.

Faulconer described the project as an "incredible opportunity," but only if it "makes sense financially." He agreed to move forward so the city can get a "realistic bid."

Frye concurred, saying, "I think the price is off."

Plans to replace downtown San Diego's aging library have been mulled for the past three decades. The design for the project being floated now calls for a nine-story, dome-topped library with auditorium, meeting spaces, sculpture garden and underground parking.

The city has raised about $37 million from private donations for the new library. A $20 million state grant is also on the table, and the bulk of the remaining cost would come from redevelopment dollars.