ISLE OF WIGHT—The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to allow a Walters dog-training facility to double in size.

American K-9 Interdiction, which trains military and police dogs at the site of a former detention camp on Burdette Road, received approval for the addition of an 18,500-square-foot building for 200 new kennels.

The company began training at the site in June, and currently operates 200 kennels there. While some spoke in favor of the expansion during a public hearing on the additional kennels, some neighbors expressed concern about the noise generated at the site.

“The noise generated from the constant barking is loud and extremely annoying when attempting to enjoy the curtilage of my home,” Sharen and James Perry III wrote in a letter to the Planning Commission, which last month recommended approval of the necessary permit for the expansion.

American K-9’s owners will enclose both the current open-air kennel and the additional one, said Matthew Smolnik, principal planner for the county.

In addition to enclosing the kennels, the owners will also install “sound-deadening materials,” said William Riddick, an attorney representing American K-9 Interdiction.

“The United States needs these dogs, and there’s a big demand for them,” he said. “They do a very good job and that’s driven their business model to require expansion.”

Construction could begin as soon as this month and take about 60 days to complete. Co-owner Paul Roushia told The Tidewater News in December the expansion would create 50 to 70 new jobs.

American K-9 also received approval to expand its training hours to 10 p.m. Training was previously permitted from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.