Date

Dear Kenner City Council,

Please reverse your decision to ban the construction of multi-family housing in Kenner.  The federal Fair Housing Act (“the Act”), as amended in 1988, expressly prohibits discrimination in the rental or sale of a dwelling on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability.  The Act has been interpreted to prohibit municipalities from using their zoning powers in a manner that excludes housing for a group of people on the basis of a protected class under the Act.  Seemingly neutral zoning policies that have a discriminatory effect on a particular protected class and cause harm to a community through the perpetuation of segregation violate the Act.  Generally, families with children, people with disabilities, African-Americans and Latinos rely heavily on multi-family housing.   As such, municipalities who have sought to ban the construction of multi-family housing have been held liable for engaging in illegal housing discrimination.  Therefore, your ban on the construction of multi-family housing in Kenner is likely illegal.

In addition to the legal implications, the ban severely exacerbates the existing shortage of affordable housing across the metropolitan area.

Please reverse your decision to ban the construction of multi-family housing in Kenner.

Sincerely,

Your Name Here