Nassau settles fair housing suit, commits to building more mixed-income housing

Nassau County officials have agreed to settle a 2005 lawsuit by giving $5.4 million to Brooklyn-based nonprofit developer MHANY Management and setting aside more money to build mixed-income housing in neighborhoods with “high-performing” schools, Long Island Business News reported. MHANY first filed its case with co-plaintiff New York Communities for Change in May 2005. The litigation claimed that Nassau discriminated against minorities by not promoting housing opportunities to families with low and moderate incomes. The county plans to earmark a quarter of its housing grants from the HOME Investment Partnerships program, which is about $450,000 per year through 2022, for developers who want to build mixed-income rental housing in “high opportunity areas” such as those with top-rated schools, according to LIBN. In the settlement, Nassau will also give $120,000 to New York Communities for Change, another Brooklyn-based nonprofit, to fund education programs. Nassau’s Office of Community Development will also develop a plan to better develop mixed-income housing. “This settlement supports my administration’s efforts to develop and promote mixed-income housing opportunities for all of our residents. We are committed to working alongside our nonprofit and community advocate partners in this regard,” said a statement from Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, who also spoke with The Real Deal earlier this year about several real estate-focused initiatives she has undertaken. [LIBN]