A nonprofit health organization has sued the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in state and federal court for denying an application to build an affordable housing complex in a region considered among the most rent-burdened in the nation.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation was planning a 15-story downtown building at 409 SE Eighth St. but the city did not approve of the 500-unit project on the grounds that it would be a social service residential facility intended to give priority to people with HIV and AIDS, even though the application never stated that intent, according to AHF, which is based in Los Angeles.
The federal suit, filed March 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, stated that the residences would be limited to households that make no more than 50% of the area median income.
"AHF does not intend to provide any specific social or medical services for the residents of the apartment building, and the building will not include any facilities to accommodate any special services, as the site plan application confirms," according to the suit, which alleges violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
AHF filed a separate suit March 13 in Broward County Circuit Court, appealing the city’s ruling that the project would be a social service residential facility.
The city did not allow AHF to present evidence prior to making its decision, according to the organization. A city spokesman did not return an email or phone call seeking comment.
“This building will only benefit the residents of Fort Lauderdale that are unable to afford to live and work in this city,” Michael Kahane, AHF Southern Bureau Chief, said in a statement.
In recent years, Fort Lauderdale city leaders have approved thousands of high-end apartments in and near the city's downtown, the most prominent central business district in South Florida outside Miami. Much of the demand is coming from young professionals who want to live near their jobs and the active nightlife along Las Olas Boulevard.
But analysts say more rentals for middle-income residents are needed. South Florida and San Diego County were the two most rent-burdened areas in the country, according to a study last year from Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored enterprise. A separate report last year by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University noted that South Florida has been the most rent-burdened area in the nation every year since 2006.
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