WOLCOTT, Conn. (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department is accusing a Connecticut town of discrimination and breaking federal law by barring group homes for adults with disabilities.
The agency sued Wolcott on Dec. 7 over a 2016 zoning board decision that prohibited any community residences for adults with disabilities, the Republican-American reported Saturday. The board then used that prohibition to reject a proposed group home for 13 adults with mental health disabilities.
The group home was proposed by Self Inc., which filed a similar lawsuit against the town in February. That lawsuit remains pending.
Mayor Thomas Dunn denied the allegations.
“We do not discriminate,” Dunn said. “The town of Wolcott does not discriminate against disabled persons and we did not violate the Fair Housing Act with respect to the property on Old Bound Line Road and we are vigorously defending the lawsuit.”
After Self Inc. proposed the group home, the local Planning and Zoning Commission changed zoning regulations to limit the number of people allowed in a community residence to seven - all of whom must be juveniles. The previous regulation allowed such residences to house up to 15 adults.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.