CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Charlottesville City Council voted to approve the purchase of a $6.2 million facility to serve as a low-barrier homeless shelter during Monday’s meeting.

Council voted unanimously to transfer the money from the from the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to the purchase of the 27,000 square-foot office building, the vote didn’t come without concerns by some of the people who spoke during public comment.

Angela Spathos, who owns and operates the Aberdeen Steak House, says she fully supports the city’s goals of helping those in need and addressing homelessness, but believes the building on 2000 Holiday Drive is not the right location.

“By placing a shelter at the end of a dead-end street, you would you be directing shelter residents directly past our entrances and through our parking areas,” she said. “This raises serious concerns about safety, especially after dark, for the comfort of our guests and employees. Hospitality depends on creating an environment where guests feel welcome and safe. If that sense of safety is compromised, in will inevitably impact our ability to attract, retain customers, and sustain our businesses.”

Several jeered her comments and were quietly reminded by Mayor JaunDiego Wade that they were not to interrupt.

On the other side of the spectrum, Wendy Gao of the Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents (PHAR) said complaints from people from the business owners shows the city’s history of putting profit over people.

“You will keep continuing to prioritize billion-dollar developments that generate stomach-churning amounts of profit,” she said. “I mean, UVA literally made $3 trillion off of net hospital collections.  That is insane.”

The building must pass inspections before a deal can be negotiated, but the city hopes to close the deal by November 20.