Warner Robins settles development lawsuit

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The city of Warner Robins entered a settlement with developers over a lawsuit at a called meeting on Tuesday. The decision this week stemmed from a years-long process between the parties involved.

According to a ruling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Marc Treadwell dated for June of this year, many aspects of the case were thrown out.

The main plaintiff, Woda Cooper Development, approached the city in November 2017, with the interest of building an affordable housing development at Perkins Field.

The development was presented to city council in May 2018 and, for a while, the city was on board, leading the developers to begin applications with the Department of Community Affairs.

The site plan was presented to council in December 2018, saying the development would feature 90 residential units and around 6,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. In March 2019, that number dropped to 4,000.

Media reported on the development the same month, garnering social media outcry on the “Enough is Enough in Warner Robins” Facebook page, where multiple people commented on a poll, saying the development would bring crime and drugs to the area.

At the request of the Facebook page’s owner, Mayor Randy Toms sent an email to him and council members in April 2019, saying in part, “I must follow what I believe to be the desires of my constituency and withdraw my support of this project. I would certainly be interested in more discussion but strongly urge that any decision be suspended until we can hear from the public and agree on a path forward for the best way, to develop the thriving downtown that so many of our citizens want to see.”

Also according to the email, Toms personally received multiple complaints about the development.

Later that month, developers returned to council to present, wishing to overcome resistance from the public. Comments on the meeting’s livestream remained in opposition. During this time, Councilman Keith Lauritsen began opposing the project as well.

Councilmen Charlie Bibb and Kevin Lashley ultimately opposed the project after their elections in 2020. In March 2020, city council rescinded their support in a 4-3 vote.

Developers began legal action against the city, claiming they violated the Georgia Fair Housing Act and Federal Fair Housing Act and the project’s rejection was racially motivated. Additionally, the developers claimed the city retaliated against them for using FHA rights by accusing them of perjury. The court found no evidence that substantiated the racial bias claims, saying opposition was due to the fact that the development did not have enough commercial space.

However, in the conclusion of Treadwell’s opinion, he wrote retaliation claims would have gone to trial.

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