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Charlottesville debate over Cherry Avenue low‑barrier shelter draws extended public comment
Summary
City Manager Sam Sanders stressed no decision has been made on a proposed low‑barrier shelter at the Cherry Avenue site; dozens of residents and advocates urged both urgency and caution, raising safety, equity and neighborhood impacts during a lengthy public comment period.
City Manager Sam Sanders told the Charlottesville City Council on Dec. 16 that the city is “seriously looking at” a year‑round low‑barrier shelter concept for the Cherry Avenue site but that “no decision has been made.” Sanders said staff and potential operators are still in discussion and emphasized that the city should not “villainize the homeless individuals who are here in our city.”
The matter dominated the community comment segment. Several preregistered speakers and members of the public described the immediate…
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