Advertisement

The Nation - News from Oct. 5, 1988

Share

A federal judge bypassed a defiant Yonkers City Council and designated a site for low-income housing to replace one the Roman Catholic Church did not want to give up. Should the council fail to come up with an alternative by Oct. 12, and should the new site pass muster by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the judge ordered the city to acquire it “under penalty of contempt.” U.S. District Judge Leonard B. Sand previously used a contempt order and fines to force the council to endorse a plan to build 800 units of affordable housing throughout the city. Sand intended the construction as a remedy to his 1985 finding that the city intentionally segregated housing and schools for 40 years. Sand gave the city a week to choose alternative sites and ordered HUD to do a preliminary review of any property the council proposes.

Advertisement