City Council approves rezoning for Rescue Mission/Homes for America Gateway housing project in Southeast Roanoke

Roanoke City Council on Feb. 18 adopted an ordinance to rezone the four‑acre “Gateway” property owned by the Rescue Mission so nonprofit developer Homes for America can build multi‑family affordable housing there.

The vote formalized a plan, presented by the Rescue Mission and Homes for America, to develop the vacant site between Jamieson and Bullitt avenues in Southeast Roanoke into multi‑unit housing with on‑site services; the ordinance passed on a 6–1 roll call vote (Nash, Lisonbee, Powers, Sanchez Jones, Vice Mayor McGuire and Mayor Cobb voted yes; Hagen voted no).

The rezoning matter drew substantial public comment at the hearing, with local nonprofit leaders, neighborhood residents and housing advocates urging approval and a smaller group of residents raising concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety and programmatic supports for people exiting homelessness.

Ben Crew, agent for the applicant and principal at Balzer & Associates, said the project evolved through multiple amended applications and neighborhood meetings and that the development plan includes three buildings pulled close to the street, on‑site parking and pedestrian improvements. “There’s a lot of unique characteristics that make this a challenging property to develop,” Crew said, describing steps the team took on site layout, topography and access.

Lee Clark, executive director of the Rescue Mission, told council the mission will retain ownership of the property and partner with…