Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating entities involved in a planned Muslim housing development in Texas due to concerns the initiative may have engaged in discrimination based on religion and nationality, the department said in a Feb. 13 statement.

HUD’s probe will look into “The Meadow” project, formally called EPIC City or the East Plano Islamic Center, for potential violations of the Fair Housing Act, according to the department. The Act prohibits direct providers of housing, such as real estate companies, from instituting discriminatory practices that make housing unavailable to people based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or family status.

The department’s investigation, conducted by its Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, will cover EPIC Real Properties, Inc., and Community Capital Partners, LP, which are involved in the development program.

According to the department, it has “received a complaint from the Texas Workforce Commission detailing a large-scale pattern of religious discriminatory conduct by the developers of The Meadow.”

The project’s marketing materials promote the initiative as a “Muslim community” that will represent the “epicenter of Islam in America.” There are allegations of discriminatory financial terms in the project requiring lot owners to subsidize a mosque and Islamic educational centers, HUD said.

Another allegation is that the initiative employs a biased sales mechanism consisting of a two-tier lottery system for lot sales, granting exclusive access to Tier One buyers.

“It is deeply concerning the East Plano Islamic Center may have violated the Fair Housing Act and participated in religious discrimination,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said.

“As HUD Secretary, I will not stand for illegal religious or national origin discrimination in housing and will ensure that this matter receives a thorough investigation so that this community is open to all Texans.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the East Plano Islamic Center and Community Capital Partners for comment, and did not receive a response by publication time. The Epoch Times was unable to reach EPIC Real Properties.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott extended support to HUD Secretary Scott Turner regarding the investigation, according to a Feb. 13 statement from the governor’s office.

The state has taken multiple actions over the past year against the EPIC City project. In April 2025, Abbott said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found the entities involved in the project had not obtained required permits or authorizations to move ahead with development.

In November 2025, the Texas Securities Board sent a letter to the state’s Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, writing that Community Capital Partners and its personnel could have “solicited unauthorized sales, engaged in fraud, and made materially misleading statements concerning securities.”

In addition, Texas Rangers are investigating the EPIC project and any affiliated entities for potential criminal activities, the governor’s office said.

“Last year, I directed the Texas Workforce Commission to investigate EPIC and any affiliated entities for violations of the Texas Fair Housing Act. After a thorough investigation, Commission staff later filed a detailed complaint, which HUD has now accepted for federal investigation,” Abbott said.

“I support HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s efforts to hold EPIC and its affiliates accountable to our anti-discrimination laws. Together, we will hold anyone involved in violating the law accountable. The Meadow will remain just that—an empty field.”

In October 2025, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the AG had uncovered illegal activities by EPIC City developers and sought a referral from the Texas State Securities Board to file a lawsuit on the matter.

In December 2025, Paxton filed a complaint against the East Plano Islamic Center, Community Capital Partners, and other parties involved in the EPIC City project, alleging violations of the state’s securities laws.

Defendants denied any wrongdoing, with the developers as well as Muslim groups criticizing the legal challenge as Islamophobic.

Meanwhile, local residents voiced concerns about Sharia law and radicalization among communities that they believe may not integrate into American culture.

During a press briefing in April 2025, Mustafaa Carroll, the interim executive director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), Texas, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth, supported the EPIC City initiative while criticizing authorities.

“They have chosen to abuse their power by launching groundless investigations against EPIC, blocking funerals, intimidating children and families, and violating their rights to constitutionally protected religious expression,” Carroll said.

Texas has previously taken action against CAIR. In November 2025, Abbot signed a proclamation designating the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Transnational Criminal Organization. The same month, the council filed a federal lawsuit against Abbot over the designation.