hlfireinspector
Silver Member
Southaven apartments' access cited in Justice Department suit
The lawsuit, filed in a Mississippi federal court, alleges disability-based housing discrimination at the nine complexes. The department seeks a court order declaring that the owners and developers of the properties violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act to stop them from future discrimination in design and construction of multifamily housing.
The suit also calls for the owners to bring all the properties in violation into compliance with fair housing laws and award an unspecified amount of money in damages to any person hurt by the alleged discriminatory housing practices.
The department states in the suit that the nine properties in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee are inaccessible to people with disabilities because they lack accessible pedestrian routes; lack accessible parking; have steep cross and running slopes with no ramps; have doors that are not sufficiently wide enough to allow passage by people in wheelchairs.
The department says the nine apartment complexes are made up of 2,000 apartments with more than 800 ground-floor units that are required by federal housing laws to contain accessible features for the disabled.
The two apartment complexes in DeSoto County were built in the early 1990s by the Bryan Company, a Ridgeline, Miss., developer and construction company, named as a defendant in the suit.
Sutton Place is now owned by Mid-America Apartments in Memphis and Mid-America Capital Partners in Delaware.
It is at 1000 Sutton Place, off of Goodman Road in Horn Lake. The complex has 21 multistory nonelevator buildings. It has 252 units that include 84 ground-floor apartments.
Since 2006, Karen Johnson has been property manager at Horn Lake's Sutton Place.
"My dad is in a wheelchair and I'm very, very sensitive to that situation," Johnson said.
She offered no further comment, directing all questions to MMA regional senior vice-president Beth Brock.
The Justice Department alleges that some of the issues at Sutton Place include inaccessible pedestrian routes, lack of some interior usable doors, light switches, electrical outlets and thermostats are not in accessible locations. The complex also does not have usable bathrooms in some units for the disabled.
Oak Hollow Apartments in Southaven has 23 multistory nonelevator buildings. The complex is at 646 Whispering Oak Drive, off of Church Road. It has 184 units with 92 apartments on the ground floor.
It is owned by Oak Hollow-NE LP, a limited partnership company in Omaha, Neb. Oak Hollow-NE LP is named as a defendant in the suit.
In addition to Oak Hollow having inaccessible pedestrian routes and running slopes with no ramps, the department also alleges that the complex's leasing office is not ADA complaint, because it does not have van accessible parking spaces and the counter in the reception area is too high.
Calls to Oak Hollow's leasing office Friday were not returned.
In Shelby County, Houston Levee Apartments at 9940 Paddle Wheel Drive in Cordova is also named in the department's suit for allegedly not having accessible features for the disabled, including in its leasing office.
The complex has 24 multistory nonelevator buildings. Houston Levee has 384 units with 96 on the ground floor. The complex was also built by the Bryan Company.
It is now owned by USA Houston Levee DST, a company in Addison, Texas.
-- Yolanda Jones: (901) 333-2014
Reporter Chris Van Tuyl contributed to this story.
- By Yolanda Jones Memphis Commercial Appeal
- Posted May 21, 2011 at midnight
The lawsuit, filed in a Mississippi federal court, alleges disability-based housing discrimination at the nine complexes. The department seeks a court order declaring that the owners and developers of the properties violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act to stop them from future discrimination in design and construction of multifamily housing.
The suit also calls for the owners to bring all the properties in violation into compliance with fair housing laws and award an unspecified amount of money in damages to any person hurt by the alleged discriminatory housing practices.
The department states in the suit that the nine properties in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee are inaccessible to people with disabilities because they lack accessible pedestrian routes; lack accessible parking; have steep cross and running slopes with no ramps; have doors that are not sufficiently wide enough to allow passage by people in wheelchairs.
The department says the nine apartment complexes are made up of 2,000 apartments with more than 800 ground-floor units that are required by federal housing laws to contain accessible features for the disabled.
The two apartment complexes in DeSoto County were built in the early 1990s by the Bryan Company, a Ridgeline, Miss., developer and construction company, named as a defendant in the suit.
Sutton Place is now owned by Mid-America Apartments in Memphis and Mid-America Capital Partners in Delaware.
It is at 1000 Sutton Place, off of Goodman Road in Horn Lake. The complex has 21 multistory nonelevator buildings. It has 252 units that include 84 ground-floor apartments.
Since 2006, Karen Johnson has been property manager at Horn Lake's Sutton Place.
"My dad is in a wheelchair and I'm very, very sensitive to that situation," Johnson said.
She offered no further comment, directing all questions to MMA regional senior vice-president Beth Brock.
The Justice Department alleges that some of the issues at Sutton Place include inaccessible pedestrian routes, lack of some interior usable doors, light switches, electrical outlets and thermostats are not in accessible locations. The complex also does not have usable bathrooms in some units for the disabled.
Oak Hollow Apartments in Southaven has 23 multistory nonelevator buildings. The complex is at 646 Whispering Oak Drive, off of Church Road. It has 184 units with 92 apartments on the ground floor.
It is owned by Oak Hollow-NE LP, a limited partnership company in Omaha, Neb. Oak Hollow-NE LP is named as a defendant in the suit.
In addition to Oak Hollow having inaccessible pedestrian routes and running slopes with no ramps, the department also alleges that the complex's leasing office is not ADA complaint, because it does not have van accessible parking spaces and the counter in the reception area is too high.
Calls to Oak Hollow's leasing office Friday were not returned.
In Shelby County, Houston Levee Apartments at 9940 Paddle Wheel Drive in Cordova is also named in the department's suit for allegedly not having accessible features for the disabled, including in its leasing office.
The complex has 24 multistory nonelevator buildings. Houston Levee has 384 units with 96 on the ground floor. The complex was also built by the Bryan Company.
It is now owned by USA Houston Levee DST, a company in Addison, Texas.
-- Yolanda Jones: (901) 333-2014
Reporter Chris Van Tuyl contributed to this story.