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The agency wants to replace Bon Air and Beaumont, which together have a capacity of 549 beds but, as of Tuesday, had only 322 youths housed in them.

In their place, the state has proposed to build two facilities — one in Chesapeake with 64 beds, as well as an 88-bed center in Hanover County or, potentially, on the grounds of Bon Air — for youths whose offenses or sentences require incarceration.

“Our expectation is our need for state-operated beds will be about 70 percent less than what we have today,” Block said.

The General Assembly this year balked at the $90 million estimated cost for replacing the two facilities but approved funding in a new bond package to begin planning the Chesapeake facility, to be built on city land in conjunction with a 48-bed local juvenile detention center.

At the insistence of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the assembly also authorized money for construction in the budget’s second year.