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EPIC housing project developer wants to move forward, submits documents to Collin County

East Plano Islamic Center mosque.
Yfat Yossifor
/
四虎影院
Developers have filed planning documents with Collin County for The Meadow, the proposed housing development affiliated with the East Plano Islamic Center.

The developer of the community formerly known as EPIC City is seeking to move forward with the project 鈥 despite a lawsuit Attorney General Ken Paxton filed against the developer last month.

Community Capital Partners, the corporate entity for the Muslim-oriented housing development EPIC City, has submitted routine documents to Collin County for The Meadow according to a recent press release from the company. The developer confirmed last November the community was renamed The Meadow.

The plans submitted focus on routine technical issues for the county鈥檚 review, including infrastructure, drainage, utilities and safety plans.

The 402-acre proposed development would be in unincorporated Collin and Hunt counties, roughly 40 miles northeast of Dallas near the city of Josephine. It would include a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school, senior housing, an outreach center, commercial developments, sports facilities, and a community college.

Paxton filed a lawsuit last month against Community Capital Partners and the mosque affiliated with the housing development, the East Plano Islamic Center, accusing them of  engaging in fraudulent practices while soliciting funds and failing to legally verify their status as "accredited investors."

The suit comes after Paxton claimed in November his office found evidence EPIC violated state and federal laws.

鈥淭he leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets,鈥 Paxton said in a December press release. 鈥淚 will relentlessly bring the full force of the law against anyone who thinks they can ignore the rules and hurt Texans. The unlawful land project known as EPIC City will be stopped, and those responsible will be barred from ever creating another fraudulent operation like this again.鈥

The proposed housing development has faced four state investigations, including claims the project could be discriminating against non-Muslims in violation of the Texas Fair Housing Act, potential financial harm to investors, potential violations of Texas consumer protection laws and operating illegal funeral services.

The federal probe was closed in June and The Texas Workforce Commission resolved all fair housing allegations in September.

A Texas State Securities board investigation of the project found the developer and the mosque鈥檚 actions didn鈥檛 constitute securities fraud under state law according to a press release from the board . The board issued the press release after a Fox News article claimed Securities Commissioner Travis Iles said the board referred the matter to the Attorney General鈥檚 Office after finding 鈥渇lagrant violations.鈥

A press release from the board said the article鈥檚 claims were false and that the reporter who wrote the article didn鈥檛 respond when asked who provided the quote.

The Securities Board gave the Attorney General鈥檚 Office the information from its investigation. But Community Capital Partners said in its press release Paxton still moved forward with his own lawsuit.

鈥淒espite this, the Attorney General proceeded with a securities-related lawsuit asserting violations that the Securities Board had already determined were not supported under Texas securities law,鈥 the press release said.

Paxton faced his own allegations of securities fraud and other illegal activities that led to his impeachment in 2023 鈥 but not removal from office. He was accused of encouraging people to invest more than $600,000 in technology company Servergy Inc. without disclosing he was making a commission and misrepresenting himself as an investor. He was also charged with failing to register with state securities regulators for soliciting clients for investment firm Mowery Capital Management in return for fees. 

 in a deal with prosecutors dropping the charges so long as Paxton paid nearly $300,000 in restitution.

Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.

Caroline Love is the Collin County government accountability reporter for 四虎影院 and a former Report for America corps member.

Previously, Caroline covered daily news at Houston Public Media. She has a master's degree from Northwestern University with an emphasis on investigative social justice journalism. During grad school, she reported three feature stories for 四虎影院. She also has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Christian University and interned with 四虎影院's Think in 2019.
Penelope Rivera is 四虎影院's Breaking News Reporter. She graduated from the University of North Texas in May with a B.A. in Digital and Print Journalism.