Judge orders town to end 55 and older age restriction

RYDERWOOD, Wash. – This southwest Washington community has long been reserved for 55-and-older retirees, but recent rulings by a federal court judge have imperiled that status – and worsened tensions in the 270-home, unincorporated town.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma ruled in June that Ryderwood has violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with young children, and this month he issued an injunction ordering the Cowlitz County town to stop enforcing the age restriction and to stop advertising itself as a 55-and-older community.

The lawsuit was brought by about 50 residents who wanted to be able to sell their homes to anyone – not just to older people – and opponents of the age restriction say they’ve been harassed.

One plaintiff, Chuck Weaver, 68, said his tires have been slashed at least four times and he’s put up a fence to protect his property. Deborah Balvage said she’s been cursed at and threatened.

Residents pay dues to the Ryderwood Improvement and Service Association, which denies breaking the law and claims that it meets federal requirements for an exception to the Fair Housing Act known as the Housing for Older Persons Act. The association has appealed Settle’s decision that it did not meet those requirements.