CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Charlottesville plans to go ahead with its scheduled Sept. 1 opening of a low-barrier shelter at 2000 Holiday Dr., despite area business owners objections and a request from Rep. John McGuire to delay the launch.

 “We’re not interested in delaying,” City Manager Sam Sanders told Cville Right Now on Tuesday. “This community has been struggling with this issue for quite some time. We believe it’s very important that we get this low-barrier shelter open, which is why we’ve been so focused on it over the past few months. So, we don’t see it as an option to wait.”

The City announced in July that it would clear the approximately 100 homeless people living in makeshift campsites at the Free Bridge encampment, near the Rivanna River Trail, on or around Sept. 1, but that it planned to have the shelter open by then to give people a place to go.

In a letter to Sanders posted on his social media page this weekend, McGuire – a Republican running for re-election in the 5th District – urged Charlottesville to delay opening the property, citing safety and logistical concerns raised by about a dozen businesses in the area, including hotels and restaurants.

Sanders said he will be sending a formal response to McGuire either later Tuesday or first thing Wednesday morning. Asked if he would ask McGuire for any federal government assistance to address the situation in Charlottesville, Sanders said “that will be in the response that he will receive in writing back from us.”

Sanders said the City has been in communication with business owners in the area where the shelter will be and he believes that many of the concerns stem from a misconception about what the property at 2000 Holiday Dr. will be.

“The entire process for what we have planned for Holiday Drive is very different than the Rivanna Trail encampment that I think people are basing their concerns on,” Sanders said. “That was not a sanctioned activity and it did not have a structure around it whatsoever. What we’re proposing at 2000 Holiday Drive is absolutely that. It’s a structured facility with an operator, with services, with rules. Low-barrier does not mean no rules.”

In October 2025, the city purchased the 3.8-acre property, including a two-story office building, at 2000 Holiday Dr. for the purpose of building a low-barrier homeless shelter on the site, one with wrap-around services to help deal with healthcare, job placement and training, addiction counseling and mental health issues.

After months of discussions and planning, it announced in July that it hoped to have the shelter open and the encampment cleared on or around Sept. 1. In August, the City Council allocated $4 million to support the shelter’s opening, including the hiring of an outside agency – Central Arizona Shelter Services – to staff the facility.

On July 28, the Virginia Restaurant Lodging Travel Association sent a letter to city officials, including Sanders, outlining concerns about the plans for the Holiday Dr. property. Those included questioning whether camping would be allowed on the property, how bus service and parking would work, how police would keep the area safe, and what lighting upgrades would be made. VRLTA President Eric Terry said his letter was sent in consultation with 12 businesses in the area, including four hotels and two restaurants.

On Aug. 17, Sanders responded informing Terry that camping won’t be allowed on the property. Transportation, policing and parking plans and lighting upgrades were all still being evaluated.

On Aug. 18, Terry sent Sanders a second letter in which he expressed concerns that the city had not committed to a 24-hour police presence in the area and that local businesses, especially hotels, would need to upgrade their on-site security “to ensure the safety of their guests and customers.” He also wrote that the opening of the shelter would raise insurance costs and could “potentially” cost those establishments business.

Tuesday, Sanders reiterated that camping would not be allowed on the Holiday Dr. property. He said that the transportation issues are being handled by CASS, which will provide bussing for people moving from Free Bridge to the shelter. He said CASS will also be handling much of the building security, though he said CASS personnel will not be armed.

As far as extra policing around the Holiday Dr. location, Sanders said the City does not believe that will be necessary.

“We don’t consider this any different than any other facility servicing various individuals with issues that might cause a response from the police or fire department,” Sanders said. “So, we are not providing 24-hour service. We are providing a direct connection. The business owners are going to be provided a contact to the facility, and they’ve already had direct contact with leadership in the police department who will respond to them as needed for non-emergencies. And CASS has a security plan for its operations.” 

Sanders said the city is still negotiating the final terms of what will be an up-to $3.2 million deal with CASS to staff and run the facility but expects to have signed contract in place when the shelter opens.

“We’re going to open next week,” Sanders said. “That is the plan, and we have worked on a safety plan. We have engaged the business community in that area. We feel satisfied with what we have developed, and we will continue to monitor it as operations begin next week.”