Full article (for subscribers) by Ben van der Meer available at Sacramento Business Journal
Elk Grove city officials unlawfully gave weight to neighbor concerns over a need for affordable housing in rejecting a project in the city’s Old Town area earlier this year, a lawsuit by the project’s proponent alleges.
Oak Rose Apartments, a 67-unit project by Excelerate Housing Group, should’ve gotten only ministerial review from the city, according to the suit, filed Tuesday, Oct. 11 in Sacramento County Superior Court. That means it should only have been reviewed by city staff for compliance with laws and regulations.
“However, urged on by certain community members who publicly voiced fear and animus toward the unhoused population that would be served by the Project, the City ignored various state law mandates and strained to conjure untenable grounds for a project denial that were legally baseless and inconsistent with City precedent,” states the suit, filed by law firm DLA Piper.