Ozarks developers, builders sued over condo accessibility

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Dozens of new condominium developments at the Lake of the Ozarks fail to comply with federal standards for accessibility for the disabled, an advocacy group said Thursday.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council announced a lawsuit against four of the condo properties at the popular mid-Missouri resort area. The suit, filed Tuesday, also names the condo developers, builders and architects. In addition to the suit, the EHOC said it filed fair housing complaints against 17 other developments with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.

In fact, the EHOC said that of 40 Lake of the Ozarks area condo developments it examined, none fully met accessibility provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act.

Tom Kennedy, one of the attorneys filing the suit on behalf of the EHOC, said he's been involved in fair housing cases since the 1970s.

"We have never seen such noncompliance," Kennedy said. "This is not a close case. These developments were massively out of compliance. They have to fix it now."

All four condo developments named in the suit are in Camden County -- Cedar Heights, Miramar, Loch Haven and ClearWater. The four share some of the same developers and share the same administrative office.

Jeff Tillman, speaking for the developers, declined comment.

At the four developments being sued, several of the buildings as well as the grounds are completely inaccessible to those in wheelchairs, the EHOC said. Among the alleged problems:

--Steps, with no ramps, leading to boat docks and swimming pools.

--Doors that aren't wide enough for wheelchairs.

--Electrical outlets, thermostats and other controls out of the reach of those in wheelchairs.

--Inadequate space in bathrooms for wheelchair-bound residents and visitors.

--Inadequately designed kitchens.

"If you're in a wheelchair, there's no way you can enjoy what you're paying for," said Debra Greider, another attorney for the EHOC. "This law's been around a long time. It's kind of shocking that in an area with so much growth, that's so beautiful, developers and builders would still be violating the law."

In fact, Greider said it appeared there was little oversight by local government of the condo projects. "There's a lot of growth down there that has been casually supervised," she said.

A telephone call to Chris Hall, director of planning and zoning for Camden County, was not returned.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., does not seek specific damages but asks the court to require the projects to be brought into compliance with federal laws.