Judge Halts Actions in EPIC City Case in North Texas
A temporary restraining order halts key infrastructure work on the 402-acre development as legal, political, and civil rights battles intensify.
A Collin County district judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping all activity by the Double R Municipal Utility District — the public body responsible for water, sewer, and infrastructure development for The Meadow, the 402‑acre master‑planned community formerly known as EPIC City.
The order comes in response to allegations from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who claims that the MUD’s board was improperly reconstituted in early 2025 to accelerate approvals for the Muslim‑led development associated with the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC).
Paxton said the board members were not legally eligible to serve because they did not own taxable property within the district before a disputed annexation, a requirement under Texas law governing special‑purpose districts.
Under the TRO, the MUD is barred from entering into contracts, issuing bonds, approving engineering or legal reports, taking on new financial obligations, appointing or removing directors, or exercising any authority tied to district expansion. In effect, the infrastructure engine behind The Meadow is frozen until the court determines whether the board was lawfully constituted.
The Meadow — envisioned to include 1,000 homes, senior living, a K‑12 faith‑based school, clinics, retail, and a mosque — has become a flashpoint in North Texas. The project is already the subject of a federal Fair Housing investigation into potential religious and national‑origin discrimination, as well as state‑level challenges over environmental and permitting processes. Developers argue that the state’s actions amount to targeted religious discrimination, citing Paxton’s repeated references to EPIC in official filings.
A hearing on the TRO is scheduled for March 30.
Unless extended, the order expires April 1. Until then, no action can be taken to advance the development, leaving the future of The Meadow in legal limbo.