Judge Freezes Utility District Tied to Islamic EPIC City Development
https://texasscorecard.com/local/judge-freezes-utility-district-tied-to-islamic-epic-city-development/
March 20, 2026
Attorney General Ken Paxton has obtained a court order halting actions by an EPIC City-linked municipal utility district.
The case centers on allegations that the Double R Municipal Utility District No. 2A has been used to advance a controversial development project organized by the East Plano Islamic Center by skirting state oversight and standard MUD-creation procedures. The project, originally known as EPIC City, has been rebranded as the Meadow.
Judge Christine Nowak’s order blocks the district and its board from taking further steps to support the development while the litigation continues.
The state’s lawsuit focuses on a 2025 special meeting where the Double R MUD board allegedly resigned en masse, installed new directors at a remote roadside location identified only by GPS coordinates, and then quickly voted to annex more than 400 acres tied to the EPIC project.
State lawyers say that maneuver effectively transformed the MUD into a vehicle for EPIC City’s backers, allowing them to expand taxing authority and infrastructure support without going through the process of forming a new district.
After the annexation, regulators requested documents to confirm that the new board members met legal requirements to hold public office and levy taxes on residents inside the district.
According to the suit, records submitted by Double R MUD showed the individuals did not meet statutory qualifications—a finding the attorney general’s office said casts doubt on every action the board took, including the EPIC City annexation.
The state is asking the court to remove the disputed board members, unwind the 402.5-acre annexation tied to EPIC City, and restore what Paxton describes as lawful governance of the utility district.
The secured TRO “temporarily freezes Double R MUD from any concrete action until a scheduled Temporary Injunction hearing” scheduled for later in March.
The lawsuit comes following an investigation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Paxton described the TRO as a “win for the rule of law.”
“Allowing Double R MUD to meet in this way would have only furthered its illegal scheme to support EPIC City,” said Paxton. “My office will continue to work tirelessly to stop the illegal EPIC City scheme, and anyone who has broken the law will be held accountable.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, who called for the initial TCEQ investigation, also celebrated the ruling. “We will not rest in the mission to stop the spread of radical Islam.”