KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Ryan received a tip about the Belton lawsuit being filed on Tuesday. He breaks down why those who filed the lawsuit say the city and the city council are discriminating against those who want a development that would attract a mix of residents. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
Three developers and a local university filed a federal discrimination lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Belton and the Belton City Council.
Commons of Belton Development LP, Commons of Belton DVLPR LLC, and Jabal Companies LLC, along with Calvary University, claim a violation under federal law for discrimination.
The suit states that under the Fair Housing Act, the city and city council cannot refuse a development project based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status or national origin.
The lawsuit also claims the city sided with discriminatory comments made by residents in opposition to the project.
As a result, the plaintiffs are asking for relief and compensation and request a jury trial.
The Commons of Belton began building a 252-unit affordable housing complex in 2024.
The development's goal was to create affordable housing units for low-income families that are disproportionately Black, per the lawsuit.
Court documents state the developers were responding to housing demand based on industry growth in the area. Documents also claim city officials and city council members expressed strong support for the project.
Developers state they obtained and invested significant resources into the project, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
Calvary University, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, was contracted with the developers for an adjacent land purchase, which the lawsuit stated would be necessary for the development.
A term in the contract would be that the developers would build a soccer field for the university's athletics program. The university joined the lawsuit because the land for the soccer field sits undeveloped.
According to court documents, the project was on track until the city abruptly ended its support after Belton residents rallied in opposition at May meetings for the Planning Commission and City Council.
The lawsuit claims many residents spoke in opposition to the project using “discriminatory rhetoric, making it clear that these City residents did not want a disproportionate number of Black families and families with children moving into an affordable housing development in their neighborhood.”
Residents allegedly made the following comments in these meetings on May 6, 2025, and May 27, 2025:
- “None of us here are fools. And we all understand that the bottom line is it’s going to lower our standard of living.”
- “[M]ultifamily dwellings … bring crime no matter what.”
- “Don’t turn Belton into Jackson County.”
- “The Section 8 housing plan sounds like it’s not a great idea for our community… We love Belton right now as it takes us away from the inner city crime.”
The lawsuit claims Belton is in major need of affordable housing, and the Commons development would address those needs.
Additionally, the suit noted 81% of the households in Belton are white, and 8.7% of the approximate 10,000 households are Black. The Commons would likely draw 20.1% of tenants who are from Black households in the city.
The lawsuit claims city officials and the city council sided with the discriminatory comments of the residents against this project.
Moreover, plaintiffs stated their major investments hurt the developers and Calvary University, as the two entered a Purchase Option Agreement together, including the developer’s initial investment.
Developers were also expecting tax credits, which the city signed a letter of support for in November 2024, according to the documents.
Since Calvary University issued substantial resources for the project, the university has had trouble recruiting students, meaning its accreditation could be affected.
The overall losses stated in the lawsuit exceed $51 million over the 15-year tax credit period, including the developers' initial investments.
The city of Belton declined to comment to KSHB 41 on the active litigation.
—
