View full story at The News & Advance...Lynchburg City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request from Rush Homes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing to low-income residents and individuals with disabilities, to build a new housing complex off Florida Avenue.

The proposed 48-unit housing complex, called Carolyn’s Place, will be located on about six acres of land across Florida Avenue from the Jubilee Family Center.

“I’m familiar with Rush Homes’ properties. You guys have a great reputation,” At-large Councilman Martin Misjuns said at the council’s Aug. 13 meeting. “This is an area that could use some development that we know is going to be well-maintained and taken care of.”

Misjuns also said there’s a need for the new homes planned by Rush Homes, adding, “I think this is going to be an easy one” for city councilmembers to approve.

Ward II Councilman Sterling Wilder agreed with Misjuns, saying Rush Homes does an amazing job in building homes in the community.

“All their projects are so well-kept. They’re beautiful designs,” Wilder said. “I definitely understand the need for more affordable housing, especially for people with disabilities and on low incomes.”

The city council then voted 7-0 to approve the rezoning request submitted by Rush Homes.

Rush Homes, founded 28 years ago, owns and operates more than 150 housing units in Lynchburg and Amherst County.

“Rush Homes would like to extend our gratitude to the City Council for their leadership and to the community members who voiced their support for this essential initiative,” Tracey Ballagh, executive director of Rush Homes, said in a statement emailed to The News & Advance. “Together, we are building a city where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

”Ballagh said Rush Homes has an “ongoing commitment to addressing the growing need for affordable housing within our community” and that the council’s approval of the rezoning request “is a critical step forward in our broader strategy to ensure that this often-underserved population will have access to safe, accessible and affordable housing.”