For years, separate battles over inclusionary zoning have played out in City Hall and a federal courthouse — one to strike down the contested policy, and one to expand its reach.

But a U.S. district court on Monday changed that, siding with the city in a ruling that ended a three-year effort to nix the housing policy.

Local developers had asked for the court to immediately halt inclusionary zoning, saying it violated state law and jeopardized several housing projects, including some already underway.

U.S. district judge Robert Colville disagreed, saying that halting the policy would be an “extraordinary remedy” only granted in limited circumstances. The Builders’ Association, Judge Colville argued, failed to prove that its members will be “irreparably harmed” if the policy is not paused

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