ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the City of Elmira on Tuesday, Oct. 7, challenging a 2023 zoning ordinance that the organization says blocked construction of an affordable, supportive housing development for people with disabilities. In the lawsuit, the NYCLU accuses Elmira of violating the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the New York State Human Rights Law.

“By blocking construction of a much-needed supportive housing development because of discriminatory NIMBY-like pressure, the city of Elmira and its mayor have turned their back on vulnerable members of their community. The city also made a mockery of its own decision-making process by abruptly rejecting a project they initially appr

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