Resident Qualifications

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.