Ridgeland apartment lawsuit dismissed
RIDGELAND — A six-year legal battle over apartments ended in March after all parties agreed to a dismissal.
The city of Ridgeland was in the legal battle with about 10 apartment complexes over a 2014 zoning ordinance.
City Attorney Kelly Simpkins said that a federal judge ordered the dismissal March 23. The case was Mid America, LP vs. the City of Ridgeland. Mid America operates two complexes in Ridgeland, Lakeshore Landing and Pear Orchard Apartments.
The matter was dismissed by Judge Henry T. Wingate of the United States District Court of the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson.
Wingate dismissed the lawsuit at the request of both parties as Mid America said that they were satisfied by changes the city made to their zoning ordinance in 2016.
Mayor Gene McGee said that he is happy to see the roughly six-year ordeal come to a close.
“I am glad we are finally finished up with that and all settled up,” McGee said. “The city’s attorneys and community development department have done a great job working on these lawsuits. I am glad we can move forward and do something else.”
Community Development Director Alan Hart said that he is “grateful” to see the matter resolved and they were able to get a number of violations repaired.
“I’m pleased that we were able to correct so many housing maintenance violations throughout the process,” Hart said. “Housing that meets good health, safety, and welfare standards will remain a focus as we work to protect the residents.”
He said that the lawsuits, not just the recently dismissed one with Mid America, led to millions of dollars of repairs being done at complexes throughout the city, benefitting the people who live in them.
“Apartment owners reinvested millions of dollars in repairing and renovating their assets,” Hart said. “The residents of these properties are the beneficiaries of our work.”
Simpkins said that ten lawsuits came out of the 2014 zoning ordinance. He said that they have variously been settled in federal and state courts over the years. Apartments largely took issue with occupation density and use requirements that rendered many complexes in town non conforming.
In 2016 officials voted to amend the zoning ordinance to grandfather in six nonconforming apartment complexes following an agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Under the agreement, the density requirement will remain in effect and the mixed-use zoning that affects six apartment complexes will remain in place but their nonconformities will be grandfathered,” a statement released by the city at the time read.