The federal government has settled its lawsuit with Metro over discriminatory land zoning.
Nearly two years ago, Metro Council denied a building permit that would have allowed Teen Challenge to build a Christian substance abuse center for teenagers. The city rezoned the land so that it could not be used for the facility, and passed an blanket ban on rehab centers in agricultural districts.
Teen Challenge sued the city and won. Then the Department of Justice sued, claiming the city had violated both the Fair Housing Act and another law which protects the land use rights of religious groups.
US Attorney Ed Yarbrough says his office and the city have agreed on a lengthy consent decree.
“What the settlement seeks to do is ensure that Metropolitan Government and its officers and agents do not violate the statute in the future by passing zoning ordinances or taking other actions that would discriminate against treatment centers like the one Teen Challenge was seeking to build.”
The settlement still needs approval from a judge. Under its terms, Metro will pay $20,000 in civil penalties, plus another $50,000 thousand for participants in the Teen Challenge program. And it requires the city to train about 100 workers and officials on the ins and outs of certain land use laws.
The rezoning ordinances that triggered the lawsuit have both been rescinded.
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