Developers of a controversial North Texas community catering to Muslim families are facing new legal hurdles over fair housing rules.
A Democrat judge in Travis County ruled this week in favor of Community Capital Partners, developers of the proposed Islamic community known as EPIC City or The Meadow, who have been blocked in their efforts by the Texas Workforce Commission.
But the TWC immediately appealed, placing further action in the matter on hold.
“This development will never see the light of day,” Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in response to the TWC appeal.
Community Capital Partners say TWC is violating a settlement agreement signed last year resolving complaints that the project violated the Texas Fair Housing Act.
Plans for EPIC City—an expansion of the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) that later rebranded as The Meadow—include a residential community with a mosque, school, and other amenities catering to Muslim families to be built on more than 400 acres in unincorporated parts of Hunt and Collin counties.
The developers’ original marketing materials suggested that the community was exclusively for Muslims.
CCP and EPIC Real Properties sued TWC officials in February, claiming the agency is illegally refusing to review new plans submitted by the developers to comply with the settlement—including fair housing marketing plans, policies, and procedures; website content; and lottery methodology.
State law requires TWC to either approve the submissions or issue written, objective reasons for disapproval tied to applicable statutory or regulatory standards.
CCP asserts TWC has done neither and is using a new complaint issued by the agency itself as a stalling tactic.
“This is not due process,” the CCP lawsuit states. “Neither Chapter 301 nor the Conciliation Agreement permits the Commission to create its own allegations and then rely on those allegations to unilaterally and indefinitely suspend its own legal duties.”
District Court Judge Laurie Eiserloh in Travis County ruled Tuesday afternoon in favor of the developers, ordering TWC to comply within 14 days. She also denied the TWC’s motion to dismiss the developer’s lawsuit.
TWC immediately appealed to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, halting further action in the matter until the appeal is resolved.
Preliminary development applications for The Meadow have been rejected by both Collin and Hunt counties for being incomplete.
On March 30, a Collin County state court judge temporarily blocked further actions by a utility district slated to service the controversial planned community. A bench trial in that case is set for November 16.
