A chief concern for some leaders: If families become homeless, it will put pressure on city resources and the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care's shelter system which already faces capacity issues.
Housing nonprofit Project:Homes is behind the $20 million project, which will rise five stories and replace a century-old former coal storage facility on the site.
The locations open today as the first part of a larger plan to establish additional shelters across the city. Business owners opposed to the Chamberlayne Avenue site have maintained that the plan was rushed without adequate engagement.
The approvals are first steps in what councilmembers have described as a larger, long-term plan to increase capacity across the city with potentially a shelter in each of its nine magisterial districts.