The Roanoke City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a rezoning request to turn civil rights pioneer Oliver Hill's childhood home into a legal aid center and museum.

Washington and Lee University law students will use the house to provide legal aid services for clients age 60 years or older who are referred through Blue Ridge Legal Services, said Mary Natkin, assistant dean of W&L's law school.

"I'm just pleased and proud to see this come to fruition," said Vice Mayor Sherman Lea.

Hill, who was born in Richmond but spent much of his youth in Roanoke, is most remembered for his work on Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, a case that was later combined with four other cases to become Brown v. Board of Education. The U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown overturned Plessy v. Ferguson -- the 1896 ruling that allowed "separate but equal" schools for black and white children -- and helped end government-sanctioned segregation in public schools.

Hill died in August in Richmond, which had long been his home.

The Oliver White Hill Foundation last year bought the house at 401 Gilmer Ave. N.W., where the civil rights lawyer spent his youth.

Natkin said the legal services will be a collaborative effort among the Oliver White Hill Foundation, Blue Ridge Legal Services, the Roanoke Bar Association and Project 2025, a state initiative aimed at enhancing legal assistance for older adults. The work will be performed by law students and overseen by a recent law school graduate.

Natkin told the council that she envisions a focus on financial planning, debt management and Medicare issues. Potential projects for the future include representation in Supplemental Security Income matters, prisoner rights cases and children's rights and guardianship issues.

In other business:

The council held a public hearing on Mayor David Bowers' proposal to change several meeting procedures. He sent a seven-page letter to other council members in late June, outlining several changes he felt would counter criticisms that the council is "not open to the public." They include increasing the time limit for speakers, removing the requirement that speakers register before meetings, removing the speaker lectern, removing lights that indicate the time limit has expired and scheduling more neighborhood meetings.

Only one speaker commented on the proposed changes; a second had registered to speak but was not present during the public hearing.

The council members disagreed on when to vote on implementing the proposals. New council members Anita Price and Court Rosen spoke in favor of waiting three months to see how the current procedures work, while Bowers said he wants to take a vote at the council's first August meeting.

The council heard a request from Yellow Cab Services of Roanoke to raise rates by an average of 16 percent for a three-mile trip. The council directed Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham to analyze the request and return in August with a recommendation.

The council voted 6-0 to approve the issuance of $6.64 million in general obligation bonds for the renovation and expansion of the Market Garage, located downtown at Church Avenue and Market Street. Plans include a complete facade restoration; a new, six-story, 33,000-square-foot parking addition; and reconfiguring 10,000 square feet for retail space at street level.