Developer who violated accessibility laws when building housing complexes in Maryland must pay $185K
BALTIMORE -- A Maryland-based developer and its associates must pay $185,000 to settle claims that they violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the Department of Justice.
Stavrou Associates Inc. and its related entities violated these acts when they built 11 multifamily housing complexes in Maryland that lacked accessible features for people with disabilities, Department of Justice officials said on Tuesday.
The 11 housing complexes include:
- Villages at Belle Hill, Elkton, Maryland.
- Burgess Mill Station I, Ellicott City, Maryland
- Burgess Mill Station II, Ellicott City, Maryland.
- River Point Apartments, Essex, Maryland.
- Hammarlee House Apartments, Glen Burnie, Maryland.
- Overland Gardens, Landover, Maryland.
- Rainier Manor Phase II Apartments, Mount Rainier, Maryland.
- Chapel Springs Senior Apartments, Perry Hall, Maryland.
- Hampshire Village, Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Windsor Crossing Family Apartments, Suitland, Maryland.
- Windsor Crossing Senior Apartments, Suitland, Maryland.
Stavrou Associates Inc. has agreed to make extensive retrofits to the complexes as part of the settlement, Department of Justice officials said.
The settlement requires them to pay all costs related to the retrofits, put $175,000 into a settlement fund that will compensate people harmed by accessibility issues stemming from the subpar housing complexes, and spend $10,000 on civil penalties, according to Department of Justice officials.
That means that steeped-sloped walkways must be replaced with new walkways so that apartment residents can reach various parts of the property, obstacles must be removed from pedestrian pathways, and doorways must be widened, according to Department of Justice officials.
Additionally, the developer must modify the bathrooms and kitchens so that they are accessible to people with wheelchairs, according to authorities.
The defendants are required to receive training about the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act so that the housing complexes they build in the future comply with those laws, Department of Justice officials said.
This settlement still requires the approval of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Department of Justice officials said.
The government's lawsuit raises similar allegations against a second Maryland-based developer, Humphrey Stavrou Associates Inc., and its related entities too, according to authorities.
Humphrey Stavrou Associates has built six multifamily housing complexes in Maryland, Department of Justice officials said.
The six housing complexes include:
- Pin Oak Village, Bowie, Maryland.
- Woodland Creek Apartments (formerly "Henson Creek Manor I and II Apartments"), Fort Washington, Maryland.
- Woodside Village Apartments, Fort Washington, Maryland.
- Acclaim at Lake Largo (formerly "Largo Center Apartments"), Largo, Maryland.
- Randolph Village Senior Apartments, Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Vistas at Lake Largo, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
The settlement against Stavrou Associates Inc. does not affect Humphrey Stavrou Associates, according to Department of Justice officials.
Investigators note that Stavrou Associates Inc. and Humphrey Stavrou Associates relied on financial assistance from the federal government's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to build their properties.
Anyone who believes they or someone they know may have had difficulties because of the inaccessible conditions at the combined 17 properties should contact the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov.
Also, people can call the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 to report discrimination.
