News Summary
The Texas Workforce Commission has settled a fair housing complaint against Community Capital Partners regarding the EPIC City project in Plano, Texas. The developers will undergo fair housing training and must revise their marketing materials to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. The ambitious EPIC City development aims to create a Muslim-centric community with various amenities. Public sentiment remains mixed, with ongoing investigations into the project, and concerns about religious freedom being voiced by local representatives.
Texas – The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has reached a settlement regarding a Fair Housing Act complaint against Community Capital Partners, the developers behind EPIC City, a planned Muslim-centric community located northeast of Dallas. This settlement, finalized on Tuesday, confirms that Community Capital Partners does not admit any wrongdoing while instituting several measures aimed at fostering compliance with fair housing laws.
As part of the settlement agreement, leaders of Community Capital Partners are now required to undergo a fair housing training program and revise their marketing and sales materials to ensure they adhere to nondiscriminatory practices. Additionally, they must develop and implement fair housing policies that will be subject to review and approval by the TWC. The settlement stipulates that the firm must end the use of any applicant assessment criteria that is not deemed “objective, uniformly applied, and directly related to business necessity.” Furthermore, it prohibits criteria that could be interpreted as discriminatory on the basis of religion or national origin.
Over the next five years, Community Capital Partners will also be obligated to provide a series of documents and reports to the TWC, ensuring continued oversight and accountability in their development processes.
The EPIC City project is ambitious, spanning 402 acres in Collin and Hunt counties and projected to include over 1,000 homes, a K-12 faith-based school, a mosque, apartments, clinics, retail shops, a community college, and sports fields. Despite the project’s size and scope, construction has not commenced, as the firm navigates the ongoing investigations and regulatory scrutiny.
Governor Greg Abbott previously announced an investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center and its associated entities over potential fair housing violations. This investigation arose from concerns that various groups might be denied housing based on religious or other protected characteristics, thereby violating state fair housing laws. In addition to the TWC’s involvement, Community Capital Partners is facing a separate investigation led by Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton concerning potential consumer protection violations linked to the EPIC City project. Moreover, various state entities, including the Texas Rangers, have launched multiple investigations into possible criminal activities related to the development.
The settlement with the TWC marks the second investigation tied to EPIC City to be dismissed, following the conclusion of a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in June. According to Community Capital Partners, the developers are committed to upholding the Fair Housing Act alongside all applicable state and federal laws, assuring that the community will be welcoming toward members of all faiths.
Public sentiment around EPIC City remains mixed. At a recent community meeting in Collin County, residents expressed various concerns regarding transparency, the project’s inclusivity, and its alignment with community values. While some officials, such as Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, have endorsed the project, emphasizing the importance of religious freedom and the legality of similar developments in North Texas, others, including local commissioners, have voiced apprehension following allegations and ongoing investigations surrounding potential compliance issues.
Texas Republicans have criticized the EPIC City initiative, suggesting it could impose Islamic law on its residents—a charge that developers have dismissed as unfounded and Islamophobic. With the investigations still ongoing and no formal plans submitted for approval, the future of EPIC City remains uncertain, complicated by community concerns and the political climate surrounding the project.
As it stands, Community Capital Partners is still in the early planning stages of EPIC City, emphasizing that no construction is currently underway. The challenges the project faces underscore the complexities inherent in establishing a community that aims to serve diverse religious populations within Texas.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
- Dallas News: Texas Agency Reaches Deal to End Fair Housing Probe
- CBS News: Community Divided Over Proposed Muslim-Focused Epic City
- Washington Post: Texas Mosque Housing Development Investigation
- Housing Wire: Texas Senator John Cornyn on DOJ Investigation
- Dallas Observer: A Timeline of the Muslim Epic City Controversy
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