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Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Corporation US Supreme Court Case

Summary

The Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation in Chicago was denied a zoning plan to build 190 low-income family units by the Village of Arlington Heights. The plan would have rezoned a single-family residential area into a multi-family designated zone with federal housing subsidies, and opponents argued the change would decrease the property value of the surrounding area. Had the multi-family units been constructed, more low-income residents would have moved into a predominantly wealthy, white residential area. The denial was claimed to have violated the Fourteenth Amendment and Fair Housing Act, but the court found a lack of evidence the Village used racial discrimination in their refusal.

SOURCES:

Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Corporation, 429 U.S. 252, 97 S. Ct. 555 (1977).