FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 5, 2023
UPDATED: NOVEMBER 6, 2023
Subj: What may disqualify a potential resident from residing at
the City of Urban Ground?
Urban Ground Resort &
Residence is a dual purpose, commercial gay resort and private gay residence
“privately owned” known as the City of Urban Ground, by Urban Ground Resort,
LLC, that operates as a year round commercial gay resort and private gay
residence offering their Guests access to Urban Ground Resort’s amenities,
activities, products, goods, and services which are completely situated on
Urban Ground Resort & Residence property and are deemed “privately owned
spaces” with applicable public permitted access for the purpose of defining
these spaces.
Urban Ground Residence or the City
of Urban Ground is a master planned development modeled after any city, town,
or municipal for up to 36 thousand residents (tentatively) where immediate
access to Urban Ground Residence is limited to residents, their guests, and
employees working on the grounds on Urban Ground Residence. Additionally, the
City of Urban Ground may be accessible to the public as any public gay
community, however, all visitors to the City of Urban Ground are governed by
the rules, laws, and regulations of the City of Urban Ground in addition to all
municipal, state, and federal laws that govern the operations of the City of
Urban Ground.
Urban Ground Residence or the City
of Urban Ground is pedestrian friendly with vehicular traffic limited thereby
reducing traffic noise increasing a sense of calm and serenity for the guest,
residents, and visitors to Urban Ground Residence and at our sole discretion,
from time to time, Urban Ground Resort, LLC, may limit, restrict, or deny,
entry to the City of Urban Ground at our sole discretion based on the time of
limitation and any restriction or denial thereof.
As we welcome potential and future
new residents to Urban Ground Resort & Residence, Urban Ground Residence has
implemented a New Resident Orientation as an informational session providing
you with an opportunity to learn everything you need to know about Urban Ground
Residence from resident services, guest passes, community events and more.
New and future residents of Urban
Ground Residence are required to attend a New Resident Orientation prior to
move in and lease signing and the purpose of the New Resident Orientation is to
introduce all future residents to the life and style of both Urban Ground Residence
and Urban Ground Resort as we welcome you to your new home and your new
community.
Urban Ground Residence is a micro
city that operates in accordance with both state and federal laws as do all
preexisting gay communities and Urban Ground Resort & Residence abides by
the landlord - tenant rules, laws and regulations that govern our business
dealings and interactions between landlords and tenants. These laws help to regulate
everything from keeping our property habitable, enjoyful, and safe, to the
steps needed to evict a tenant and the tenant screening process is no
exception.
The
laws in place work to protect both landlords and applicants during the
fact-finding part, of identifying the applicants with the most potential to
meet the rental standards set for our property. One area of tenant screening
may center on the applicant’s criminal background check
To determine
whether or not a landlord’s criminal history policy is discriminatory, HUD
(U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) looks at several different
criteria:
Does the landlord’s criminal history
policy have a discriminatory effect?
Is the landlord using the same criminal
history criteria for every applicant?
Has the landlord made exceptions for some
tenants with a criminal history?
Does the criminal history policy
legitimately protect other tenants and the property?
Does the landlord include specific
examples of criminal behavior that threatens safety and not just rely on
blanket statements about arrests and convictions?
Does the criminal history policy make a
distinction between arrests versus convictions?
Has the landlord included specific
requirements for the type of crime, history of criminal activity, how long
since the criminal activity and evidence of rehabilitation efforts?
Can the City of Urban Ground discriminate
against felons?
One area of the tenant screening
process that may be confusing centers on the applicant’s criminal background
check. The Fair Housing Act doesn’t include criminal history as a protected
class and therefore applicants with such a background are not safe from residential
denials.
The US makes up about 4% of the
world’s population but around 22% of the world’s prisoners this according to
Wikipedia as of October 2013, and recognizing that discriminatory practices may
exists the City of Urban Ground adheres to a strict set of guidelines taking
into account a potential residents past criminal background while not discriminating intentionally.
Urban Ground Resort, LLC, and the
City of Urban Ground has the right to deny an application based on a person’s
criminal history in accordance with state and federal laws in refusing to rent
to those with specific criminal backgrounds such as drug manufacturing, dealing,
sex crimes, and violent crimes that we feel may impede the enjoyment and safety
for others while at Urban Ground Resort & Residence.
As a result of an era within the
last ten plus years, the exposure of sexual assaults, battery, homicide,
suicides, thefts, murders, and stalking’s, within the gay community, has led Urban
Ground Resort, LLC, to implement strict standards that may limit future and
potential residents based on any number of disqualifying factors.
Discrimination,
homophobia, and stigmas can be especially hard for black men who are gay and
bisexual who maintain relationships with men and have sex with men and these
negative attitudes can increase their chances of experiencing violence,
including bullying, teasing, harassment, physical assault, and suicide-related
behaviors, and while Urban Ground Resort & Residence may warmly welcome
others, renters understand that filling out a rental application is an
essential part of the rental process. This process allows the renter to express
interest in a property while also providing the City of Urban Ground with the
information they need to determine if you’re qualified to rent, lease, or
purchase a residential unit.
For both the safety and enjoyment
of our guest and residents Urban Ground Resort, LLC, have adopted its own internal
rules and regulations in addition to both state and federal laws that enhance
our community, resort, and environment for all guests and residents.
What may disqualify
a potential resident from residing at the City of Urban Ground? Urban Ground
Resort, LLC, may limit future and potential residents based on any number of
the following:
abduction,
Aiding and abetting a felon,
assault with a deadly weapon,
violations of protective orders,
impersonation,
failure to register as a sex offender,
stalking,
murder,
manslaughter,
attempted murder,
possession of WMD (weapons of mass
destruction),
terrorist threats,
aggravated sexual assault/rape,
child molestation,
espionage,
sedition,
treason,
conspiracy or attempt to commit previous
listed.
Additionally,
future and potential residents may be denied residency based on any of the
following convictions in the last 5 years of applying for residency at Urban
Ground Residence:
threatening to bomb a building,
illegal sale/distro/importation/manufacture of
explosives/weapons, arson,
extortion,
bribery,
kidnapping/hostage-taking,
sexual assault/battery,
registered sexual offender,
armed robbery,
illegal possession or use of an explosive or
weapon,
distribution or intent to distribute a
controlled substance,
conspiracy or attempt to commit any of the
above offenses,
gang affiliation,
two or more felony convictions of any type
regardless of timeframe,
currently wanted with an outstanding warrant.
Urban Ground Resort
& Residence maintains a set of SOP’s (Standard Operational Procedures) as
general property rules that are an intended and permitted use as a
non-exhaustive list. We reserve the right to deny admission, prevent entry or
require a person already admitted to leave Urban Ground Resort, Urban Ground
Residence or any part thereof, without refund, liability or compensation, for
failure to comply with any of these rules, for unsafe, illegal or offensive
behavior, to ensure safety, security or order, or if we consider that the
circumstances otherwise so require, in our sole and absolute discretion
consistent with applicable law.
From time to time,
at our sole discretion Village Resorts Hospitality Group, LLC, and Urban Ground
Resort, LLC, reserves the right to implement, modify, cancel, or change any
policy or agreement as necessary and these rules may be subject to change at
any time without notice.
Distinct living for
a distinct lifestyle, Urban Ground Resort & Residence, the City of Urban
Ground is a mixed-income, city scale development where life is a life, style,
and destination and we thank you for your interest in Urban Ground Resort &
Residence.
This Memorandum
were originally signed by Oliver B. Mitchell III, the President of Village
Resorts Hospitality Group, LLC, on November 5, 2023, and refers to his
signature that has not been mechanically or electronically reproduced.