Lyman Terrace was built in the 1930's and most of its 400 tenants are Hispanic, a lawyer said.
The future of Lyman Terrace has been a controversial topic in Holyoke, such as at this City Council Redevelopment Committee meeting that drew a big crowd in March.
HOLYOKE – The city is likely to seek dismissal of a discrimination lawsuit on the grounds the Holyoke Housing Authority, and not the city, owns the Lyman Terrace housing complex that is at the heart of the suit, the city lawyer said.
A search at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds showed that the 167-unit complex is owned by the Housing Authority, City Solicitor Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross said Friday.
Six Lyman Terrace tenants filed a complaint Wednesday with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to block plans to demolish the complex.
The complaint was filed because demolition would equal discrimination since most Lyman Terrace residents are Hispanic, according to the complaint.
About 400 people live in the 18, red brick buildings bordered by Lyman, Front and John streets in the Downtown Neighborhood.
The complaint was filed against the city and the Housing Authority. Lawyer Peter Vickery, of Amherst, representing the complainants, said complainants will ask a Hampden Superior Court judge to issue an injunction to stop the demolition.
The Housing Authority has applied for permission to raze the complex to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Officials say with the housing built to 1930’s specifications, many of the units are too small by today’s building codes. The buildings lack handicap access and new windows, plumbing, heating and other systems are needed. Improvements would cost a prohibitive $24 million, officials said.
The complaint states that the complex is owned by the city and managed by the authority, identified in the complaint as “a public body politic and corporate created under” state law, according to the complaint.
That’s untrue, said Rodriguez-Ross, who said since the deed search found the city doesn’t own the site, she reached out to Vickery but was unable to contact him.
“I wanted to see if he would amend the complaint or if the city would have to take action,” such as asking the court to dismiss the case, Rodriguez-Ross said.
Vickery couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.
The authority administers 2,350 government-subsidized units here.
Despite the ownership of Lyman Terrace, the ties between the city and Housing Authority are obvious. The authority is overseen by a five-person board on which four members are appointed by the mayor and City Council. A fifth member is appointed by the governor. The board hires the authority executive director, City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said.