TROY, Idaho – The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Troy, Idaho, claiming the city discriminated against a small Christian church in a zoning decision.
Christ Church sought to rent a larger space after outgrowing its current one. The church applied for a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate in the city’s C-1 zoning district, where nonreligious assembly uses are permitted.
Christ Church is a Moscow based religious group of around 800 to 900 members in the town primarily practicing that “Jesus Christ must be universally recognized by all nations.”
However, local residents strongly opposed the application, expressing their disapproval to the City Council. The city then denied the application, citing public opposition.
“Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said.
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) protects religious groups from discriminatory zoning decisions.
It alleges the city imposed a substantial burden on Christ Church and treated religious assembly use worse than nonreligious assembly use.
NonStop Local reached out to a representative from the City of Troy and have not heard back.
