SOUTHEAST ROANOKE, Va. – ROANOKE, Va. – On Monday, the Roanoke City Planning Commission voted to rezone a four-acre plot of land in Southeast Roanoke for the “Gateway Project.” The goal of the development is to address Roanoke’s housing crisis by providing high-quality living spaces for individuals earning between $18,000 and $60,000 a year.
“School teachers, firefighters, service workers, restaurant workers who might be struggling to pay their rent. We’re hopeful that those, that workforce housing like this will be able to provide an affordable, good-quality, safe place to live,” said Lee Clark, CEO of the Rescue Mission of Roanoke.
While supporters believe the project will help families afford rent and necessities, opponents argue it could have negative impacts on the neighborhood.
Concerns Over Safety and Infrastructure
In a community already struggling with blighted buildings, some residents worry the project could exacerbate existing issues.
Duane Howard, a Southeast Roanoke resident of 30 years, voiced concerns over parking, traffic, speeding, and pedestrian safety.
“Opposing this project is certainly not opposing affordable housing. It’s just that the location of this proposal is just, it’s detrimental to Southeast and it will be detrimental to the citizens who potentially would live here,” Howard said. “How many lives are they willing to risk with this project, to putting hundreds, hundreds of people between these two major thoroughfares? It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Roanoke resident Anthony Stavola questioned whether the Rescue Mission would be a responsible neighbor.
“The Rescue Mission has been a major presence in this area. They obviously provide a lot of important services. But we have to also realize that there is an impact on the surrounding community, as well. And so I think what happens here needs to be in the context of ‘How we are being a good neighbor?” Stavola said.
Addressing the Concerns
Issues with squatters and fires at vacant homes prompted the Rescue Mission to demolish several properties on the proposed development site. In 2017, a fire at an unoccupied home on Bullitt Avenue destroyed or damaged five nearby houses. Then, in 2020, a firefighter was injured while responding to another vacant home fire. That property was one of more than 30 owned by the Rescue Mission in Southeast Roanoke.
Clark addressed concerns over the project’s management.
“Right now, [there] about 250 men, women and kids who are seeking emergency shelter here. Those two things are very separate. The services offered here at the Rescue Mission are going to continue to be offered here,” Clark said. “The partnership over at the Gateway property will be that—a partnership. And Homes for America will be in the community long-term, managing, making sure it’s a quality property that we can all be very proud of.”
Supporters See an Opportunity for Growth
Despite opposition, some residents believe the Gateway Project could revitalize Southeast Roanoke.
“A lot of times when you come into Southeast, you’re met with those vacant lots. You’re also met with abandoned buildings. We’ve had a couple of fires in those buildings, so you’re seeing fire damage. It doesn’t make you feel like, ‘Hey, this is a place where I want to be,’” said Southeast resident Danny Clawson. “But I love my neighborhood. I love living in Southeast. It’s beautiful. We have a community garden from Carilion right there. So I think that this project has the potential to kind of uplift the face of Southeast and say, ‘Hey, this is actually a place where people can start families and rebuild their lives and have access to downtown services, to bus routes, to the Greenway.’”
Clawson acknowledged there is no single solution to Roanoke’s housing and homelessness crisis but believes the project is a step in the right direction.
“We are capable of ending homelessness in our city. We’ve done it before. We can do it again. And projects like the Gateway Project are one of those opportunities to address a major barrier to ending homelessness in Roanoke,” Clawson said.
The project still has to go before City Council for final approval.
