SANTEE, Calif. -- A decision regarding expansion plans for the Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility in Santee won the approval of San Diego County Supervisors Tuesday.

The new jail would cover 45 acres of central Santee, instead of the 16 acres it currently takes up. While it will be the biggest construction project in the county, 10News learned the plan is a concern for many.

Monday's vote brings the new jail one step closer to construction. Las Colinas was built to hold juveniles in 1967, and it became a female detention center in 1979. Over the years, the population has expanded, but the facility has not. Santee city officials and residents are strongly against building a new jail, but San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said it's long overdue.

"Basically it's the same location but we moved it off of Magnolia Avenue in response to complaints … in response, we moved it back," said Gore.

The proposed replacement project includes 15.5 acres of land on which Ryan Companies US held development rights, under a 2003 agreement with the county. Ryan Companies owns a total of 108 acres west of Magnolia Avenue and north of Mission Gorge Road, but it has only developed four acres of it.

The county is using eminent domain to take the 15.5 acres from a 100-acre project that's supposed to provide office and residential space.

"It's ruined much of what they have left because suddenly instead of a business park you're going to drive in and see offices on both sides and trees buffering the location where the jail would be if turned east-west. You're now going to be driving in next to razor wires and security towers," said Edward Burg, attorney for Ryan Companies.

Burg said the county offered to pay $25,000 for the entire 15 acres.

April Heinze, the county's director of general services, said Ryan Companies failed to respond to an offer of $25,000 for the 15.5 acres, its appraised value.