Justice Served: Santa Rosa Senior Housing Scam Exposed
The city of Santa Rosa and the La Esplanada Unit 1 Owners’ Association have been dragged into court and forced to settle a housing discrimination lawsuit, alleging they unlawfully sought to restrict residency at a housing development to seniors aged 55 and older.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Nov. 21, 2011, the city and the homeowners’ association failed to take the necessary steps to qualify for an exemption to the Fair Housing Act. The law allows an exemption for senior housing, but the defendants allegedly didn’t follow the proper procedures.
The settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, requires the city of Santa Rosa to waive the estimated $12,500 in costs associated with any zoning changes that may be necessary to bring the city’s regulation of the property into compliance with federal law.
The city will also designate an agency to review and certify biennial age certifications for the property, and will not take any enforcement action against the housing development to force it to exclude families with children.
Meanwhile, the homeowners’ association is prohibited from excluding families with children from the development unless it affirmatively elects to become an age-restricted community for persons 55 years of age or older and conforms to the requirements of the Fair Housing Act. The association will also provide compensatory damages to the aggrieved persons in an amount of $44,000.
The consent order also requires the homeowners’ association’s officers, agents and employees, as well as city employees and agents with responsibilities related to zoning and land use, to receive fair housing training. The association and the city will also pay $5,000 each to the United States as a civil penalty.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Housing Discrimination
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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