SANTEE, Calif. -
Plans to expand Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility to three times its current size moved forward when the board of supervisors voted to appropriate more land.
"I think we are now well on the way to starting, putting it out to bid," said San Diego County Sheriff William Gore. "And hopefully starting construction on a new detention facility which is long, long overdue."
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to take land adjacent to the jail from a company that had a development agreement with the county. Gore described the move as another hurdle successfully conquered in a plan to expand the jail from 15 acres to 45 acres. Board of Supervisor Dianne Jacob was the only dissenting vote.
"In response to the residents of Santee who lived on Magnolia Avenue, we moved the detention facility back about 600 feet off Magnolia," Gore said.
To appease residents, the county needed to use approximately 16 acres of land that had previously been signed over to the Ryan Company in a development agreement.
"We tried to negotiate with Ryan and that was unsuccessful and so in the process of eminent domain the board took it back and Ryan will be compensated what they (the county) believe is a fair amount for that property," said Gore.
Ryan has initiated a lawsuit against the county. So has the city of Santee. Santee Mayor Randy Voepel said he and nearly 57,000 others living in Santee are against the expansion plan. He has been fighting the issue for ten years. The city has filed two lawsuits as a result.
"When the County of San Diego and the Sheriff are in lockstep, it is the 400 pound gorilla that will sit on top of Santee and we're getting squished," said Voepel. "And we don't have to like it and we'll fight it."
"I think we are now well on the way to starting, putting it out to bid," said San Diego County Sheriff William Gore. "And hopefully starting construction on a new detention facility which is long, long overdue."
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to take land adjacent to the jail from a company that had a development agreement with the county. Gore described the move as another hurdle successfully conquered in a plan to expand the jail from 15 acres to 45 acres. Board of Supervisor Dianne Jacob was the only dissenting vote.
"In response to the residents of Santee who lived on Magnolia Avenue, we moved the detention facility back about 600 feet off Magnolia," Gore said.
To appease residents, the county needed to use approximately 16 acres of land that had previously been signed over to the Ryan Company in a development agreement.
"We tried to negotiate with Ryan and that was unsuccessful and so in the process of eminent domain the board took it back and Ryan will be compensated what they (the county) believe is a fair amount for that property," said Gore.
Ryan has initiated a lawsuit against the county. So has the city of Santee. Santee Mayor Randy Voepel said he and nearly 57,000 others living in Santee are against the expansion plan. He has been fighting the issue for ten years. The city has filed two lawsuits as a result.
"When the County of San Diego and the Sheriff are in lockstep, it is the 400 pound gorilla that will sit on top of Santee and we're getting squished," said Voepel. "And we don't have to like it and we'll fight it."
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