The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into Epic City, the Muslim-centered development planned near Dallas, according to Texas Sen. John Cornyn. It would be the latest in a string of official probes targeting the high-profile project.
Cornyn said Friday that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed him the DOJ would investigate potential discrimination tied to the project, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The development is being spearheaded by Community Capital Partners, a company formed by members of the East Plano Islamic Center, one of North Texas’ largest mosques.
Cornyn’s office raised concerns in April that the development could discriminate against non-Muslim homebuyers, citing early website language that referenced limiting sales to buyers who would “contribute to the overall makeup” of the community.
The DOJ has not independently confirmed the investigation and typically does not comment on ongoing or potential inquiries. Community Capital Partners said it will cooperate fully with “any and all investigations — regardless of how misguided and unnecessary they are.”
The project, announced last year, would include more than 1,000 homes, a mosque, a faith-based K–12 school, senior living, apartments, clinics, sports fields, retail and a community college on more than 400 acres near Josephine, about 30 miles northeast of Dallas. Two nearby residential subdivisions, dubbed Epic Ranches One and Two, were also recently announced.
The DOJ investigation comes on top of state-level investigations ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott, who in March said a “dozen state agencies” were probing the mosque and its affiliated entities.
That includes the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Texas Rangers and the Texas State Securities Board, which are examining everything from zoning and construction permits to alleged financial misconduct and even unauthorized funeral services, per Abbott’s office.
No formal charges or evidence of violations have been made public. Civil rights advocates, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have decried the probes as politically motivated and part of a broader pattern of “zoning harassment” and anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas.
The project’s backers insist Epic City will comply with Fair Housing Act guidelines and all state and federal laws.
— Judah Duke
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