The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating whether two development companies behind a master-planned North Texas community formerly known as East Plano Islamic Center City discriminated against people\u2019s religion or national origin.<\/p>\n
The investigation comes after several state officials accused entities behind the development that marketed to Muslims and is now called The Meadow of religious discrimination. It also comes after the U.S. Justice Department quietly closed its own probe into the housing project, saying the developers agreed to follow federal fair housing laws.<\/p>\n
The Meadow is a planned community with more than 1,000 residential units, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school and retail shops near Josephine, northeast of Dallas. HUD Secretary Scott Turner said Friday the investigation into EPIC Real Properties, Inc., and Community Capital Partners comes after the Texas Workforce Commission filed a complaint alleging The Meadow\u2019s developers were engaged in a \u201clarge-scale pattern of religious discriminatory conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
The state workforce commission resolved its investigation into the project\u2019s alleged religious discrimination last September, according to documents obtained by KERA<\/a>. HUD did not immediately respond to emailed questions about the investigation or state Workforce Commission\u2019s complaint.<\/p>\n \u201cAs HUD Secretary, I will not stand for illegal religious or national origin discrimination in housing and will ensure that this matter receives a thorough investigation so that this community is open to all Texans,\u201d Turner said in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n In a press release, officials with The Meadow said they have followed all laws and that HUD\u2019s investigation addresses the same concerns the state workforce commission already resolved through a conciliation agreement. A lawyer for one of The Meadow\u2019s developers said they sued the workforce commission to comply with the agreement and formally close the state investigation, after which HUD\u2019s probe was announced.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sequence of events raises serious due process concerns and appears less like neutral enforcement and more like an effort to shift forums once the State was required to defend its actions in court,\u201d said Eric Hudson, legal counsel for Community Capital Partners.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s announcement is far from the first time the planned community has been investigated, as the construction project has drawn repeated backlash from Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a>, Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a> and others. Several investigations<\/a> from multiple state agencies and a lawsuit<\/a> from Paxton\u2019s office are currently underway.<\/p>\n The Department of Justice opened<\/a> its now-closed investigation into the center in May at the request of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn<\/a>. Opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some state Republicans on the March 3 GOP primary ballot.<\/p>\n HUD\u2019s investigation into the North Texas development comes weeks after it closed<\/a> a yearslong investigation into Texas\u2019 distribution of Hurricane Harvey aid, finding \u201cno reasonable cause\u201d to believe Texas officials discriminated based on race or national origin.<\/p>\n