The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has directed its Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) to investigate a Texas mixed-use real estate development that has been accused of seeking to become a Muslim-only community operating under Sharia law.
FHEO is probing EPIC Real Properties Inc. and Community Capital Partners LP for their development known as “The Meadow,” which is 40 miles northeast of Dallas. The investigation is seeking to determine if the development, formally known as “EPIC City” or the “East Plano Islamic Center,” violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging in religious and national origin discrimination.
HUD received a complaint from the Texas Workforce Commission detailing a large-scale pattern of religious discriminatory conduct by the developers of The Meadow. The allegations include:
- Marketing materials that promoted the development as an exclusively “Muslim community” and that it would represent “the epicenter of Islam in America.”
- Discriminatory financial terms that required lot owners to subsidize a mosque and Islamic educational centers.
- A bias sales mechanism consisting of a two-tier lottery system for lot sales, which granted lot access to Tier One buyers.
“It is deeply concerning the East Plano Islamic Center may have violated the Fair Housing Act and participated in religious discrimination,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “As 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.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement supporting HUD’s investigation.
“‘EPIC City,’ now known as ‘The Meadow,’ was marketed as an exclusively ‘Muslim community’ intended to serve as ‘the epicenter of Islam in America,’” said Abbott. “Last year, I directed the Texas Workforce Commission to investigate EPIC and any affiliated entities for violations of the Texas Fair Housing Act. After a thorough investigation, Commission staff later filed a detailed complaint, which HUD has now accepted for federal investigation. I support HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s efforts to hold EPIC and its affiliates accountable to our anti-discrimination laws. Together, we will hold anyone involved in violating the law accountable. The Meadow will remain just that—an empty field.”
Photo: Artist’s rendering of The Meadow, formerly EPIC City
