A real estate company has filed a lawsuit against the City of Lawrence challenging an ordinance that bans discrimination based on where a potential tenant’s rent payments would come from, such as housing vouchers. The case was filed in federal court Thursday by Tower Properties Company, which is based in Overland Park and owns Harper Square Apartments at 2201 Harper St. The company is asking the court for a permanent injunction to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance. The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved the ordinance change, which created a protected class based on renters’ source of income, which could include housing vouchers, settlements, benefits, subsidies, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers and more. It also bans discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status or their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. The ordinance went into effect in June 2023. Tower’s lawsuit is not the first legal challenge the city has faced regarding the ordinance.
Read more: The Lawrence Times
