Burbank Housing reaches settlement over federal housing complaint

One of Sonoma County’s most prominent affordable housing developers has settled a federal complaint that alleged it discriminated against people with disabilities.

As a result of the settlement, Burbank Housing Development Corporation and Burbank Housing Management agreed to pay $41,500 and require employees training in fair housing laws, among other conditions. Burbank has developed and/or manages more than 70 housing properties in the North Bay.

The Santa Rosa nonprofit affordable housing developer was the subject of an administrative complaint filed with the federal government in 2022 by Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, which said in a news release that for many years it had been receiving complaints from Burbank tenants.

The complaints alleged that Burbank employees in various ways responded unreasonably and/or slowly to their requests for access to accommodations for their disabilities — including by requiring that assistance dogs be a certain weight or breed — or denied their requests.

The 2022 filing was with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Under the terms of the settlement, Burbank did not admit to any wrongdoing or violation but also acknowledged that “they have an affirmative duty not to discriminate.”

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