Civil Rights Feds: Owners, Developers Designed, Built 71 Multi-Family Housing Complexes In Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina Containing Significant Barriers To Accessibility For Those With Disabilities In Violation Of ADA, FHA

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• The Justice Department filed a lawsuit [] in federal court in Birmingham, Alabama, against the owners and developers of 71 multifamily housing complexes in four states for failing to design and construct housing units and related facilities that are accessible to people with disabilities. The 71 complexes contain more than 2,500 ground-floor units that are required by the Fair Housing Act (FHA) to have accessible features. This is the government’s first lawsuit in Alabama alleging violations of the FHA and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the design and construction of multi-family housing.
  
  “Those who design and build multifamily housing complexes are required by federal laws that have been on the books for over two decades to provide accessible features for persons with disabilities,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division. “Unlawful barriers deny Americans with disabilities the basic right to equal housing opportunities.”
  
  
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  The suit alleges that 36 properties in Alabama, 25 in Georgia, nine in North Carolina and one in Tennessee have significant barriers, including steps leading to building entrances, non-existent or excessively sloped pedestrian routes from apartment units to site amenities (e.g., picnic areas, dumpsters, clubhouse/leasing offices), insufficient maneuvering space in bathrooms and kitchens and inaccessible parking.

For more, see Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination by Developers of 71 Apartment Complexes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.