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NORWALK, Conn. – Approving a proposal to put a mosque in a Norwalk neighborhood would be "the right thing and send a positive message about this wonderful and diverse city," according to the lawyer arguing on its behalf.
Marc Grenier, attorney for those who oppose the application, has given Norwalk's Zoning Commission other advice. "The special permit criteria allows you to look at this in total, in this particular case, this size lot, 27,000 square foot proposed use on 1.5 acres," said Grenier, who represents the Stone Gate and Fillow Ridge Condominiums.
The Zoning Commission's plan review committee will begin deliberating Thursday on a controversial proposal to allow a mosque at 127 Fillow St. When they meet, the members will weigh the facts presented in three public hearings.
John Santo, chairman of the commission, has said the matter will be decided strictly by zoning regulations. John Fallon, lawyer for Al Madany Islamic Center, has made a case that the religious aspect cannot be ignored.
"In my opinion the denial of this application would constitute a substantial burden to this congregation of Norwalk citizens worshiping without a house of worship in this community since 1999," he said at the final hearing. "It would in fact deprive them after these many years of their own religious home, one that complies with the regulations that you promulgate and gives them a place to worship and gather together for religious services, prayers and programs."
Two speakers in the previous hearing suggested the members of Al Madany Islamic Center use the empty Methodist church at North Water Street and West Avenue. Fallon said that wasn't an option. "They put a bid in," he said. "It was rejected. So there is no feasible alternative for this congregation. They want to have, as Norwalk Muslims, a house of worship in their community. And they have been looking for four years, and there is nothing else here."
Santo put his rejection of that assertion into the public record at the close of the last hearing. "Just because a person cannot afford to buy a piece of property, I don't think that fits into our discussions here," he said.
Every Norwalk church has "grown incrementally" over the years, Santo said, while Al Madany Islamic Center plans to build a massive facility all at once. "That's a consideration that's in my mind," he said.
The gym is also an issue, because opponents say it indicates that the parking planned is inadequate. Commissioner Adam Blank asked about the gymnasium at the final hearing, drawing applause from the crowd. Fallon's reply also drew applause.
"It's going to be used like multipurpose facilities in numerous houses of worship around the city and around the state," Fallon said. "They will be used periodically for social events of the congregation. It may be used periodically for recreational activities of the youth of the congregation. Nothing strange about it. I grew up in a Catholic school gym."
In a follow-up question, Fallon admitted that he knew of no mosques with gymnasiums.
The formula used to determine the mosque's capacity has been a focus for Commissioner Mike Mushak. The prayer hall's capacity is estimated at 435 people, using fire department equations that allow for 7 square feet per person. That estimation is used to determine parking needs and has been used in reference to expected traffic.
"When we are talking about capacity numbers, I think we do need to take into consideration the unique worship service that doesn't have seats," Mushak said. "It has prayer halls."
The commission has 65 days from the close of the last hearing on April 25 to make a decision. There is no set timetable for construction if the mosque were approved. Members of Al Madany Islamic Center say fundraising will begin once approval is secured. They said they couldn't raise money for something that might happen.
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DuPage nixes mosque plan near West Chicago
Posted on May 11, 2012
For the past four years, a plan to transform a house near West Chicago into a mosque has gone in and out of DuPage County’s approval process.
On Tuesday — the first time the proposal by the Islamic Center of Western Suburbs got a hearing before the full county board — it was rejected 15-3.
The group’s application for a permit to use the home at 28W774 Army Trail Road as a religious institution had been withdrawn previously in a final effort to win approval for the project.
Now that the county board’s decision has been made, the attorney representing Islamic Center of Western Suburbs says there won’t be another application.
“They’ve exhausted all their remedies,” said Mark Daniel, adding that he’s advised the group to file a lawsuit against the county. “They are in the position where they’ve got to make a decision on suing.”
In the latest round of approvals, the zoning board of appeals voted 6-1 against the mosque, but last month, the county board’s development committee voted 3-2 to endorse it.
The religious group would have had to comply with various restrictions, including one that would have limited the facility to no more than 30 worshippers at one time, and not more than 150 people in one day. Development committee Chairman Tony Michelassi — one of three board members to vote in favor of the mosque — also sought a last-minute rule that would have required the facility’s well and septic system to be inspected at least once a year. But those amendments failed to gain majority support on the board.
Supporters of the project said the mosque would have been a convenient location to pray five times a day, per religious requirements. Gulam Samdani of Hanover Park, who sits on the board of the Islamic Center of Western Suburbs, said the nearest place to worship is seven miles from his house.
“It’s been a blessing for me (to be) in this country,” Samdani said. “I want this blessing to continue with a place to pray.”
Board member Grant Eckhoff — who voted in favor of the proposal along with Michelassi and Michael Ledonne — said religious uses are allowed under the county’s R2 residential zoning classification. He pointed to other religious institutions in the middle of neighborhoods.
“You go through Wheaton and what do you see in the middle of residential areas? Churches,” Eckhoff said.
Those who opposed the project questioned whether the home’s existing septic system could handle the number of daily worshippers. They also questioned whether the county would be able to enforce a daily limit on the number of worshippers.
Board member Jim Zay said the mosque operated out of the house for 2.5 years — against county regulations — and when members of the mosque sought to have the facility sanctioned by the zoning board of appeals, it was rejected four times. He said nearby residents expect the area to remain residential.
“This is not about religious institutions. This is about zoning,” Zay said.
Attorney Daniel accused of the county board members who rejected the plan of ignoring the zoning code.
“They didn’t follow their code today,” Daniel said. “So it needs to be addressed in court.”
Neighbors opposed to the plan voiced concerns about the possibility of flooding, lower property values and increased traffic. Some said they moved into the secluded neighborhood with the expectation it would remain that way.
Jacqueline Sitkiewicz, who has lived just west of the property since the late 1970s with her husband, said the worshippers “have not been good neighbors,” and accused some of them of harassment for not being in support of their place of worship.
“Give us the peace we had there when we originally bought the property,” she told county board members. “It has been wonderful and peaceful and it changed.”
If they design their building(s) so there is 27000 sq ft of parking space under the building(s) in addition to the parking spaces they have already proposed, that will overcome a lot of the arguments against a zoning permit for their house of worship with a gym. Figuring out how to get their cars on and off the property safely will be a challenge, but should not be insurmountable.
Wow!! US Defence League, huh? Isn't the Muslim population in this country considered part of the U.S.? We come to this country with the same intentions as immigrants who preceded us. To have an equal opportunity to live free and prosper. We pay taxes, vote, and support the communities in which we live. Is it too much to ask for our communities to occasionally support us as well? I'm not too concerned or offended by these comments since the majority of support within this community, which I was born and raised in has been positive. We are in no way seeking to "enact an unequal legal system", simply due process. All that has been asked of the community from the zoning commission has been done without question. We are not looking for a free pass, just a fair shake. All the atrocities that were mentioned are unfortunately acts of man, not religion. Those actions, sadly happen in communities here in America everyday and are not isolated to Muslim based countries. I'm not sure where the cost of $10M came from but the cost of construction is something the community has fully contemplated and take full responsibility for. As, for the churches in the community who can't pay their heating bills, that should be taken up with those congregations. Maybe the USDL can hold a fundraiser. The Muslim community would be happy to participate. We also have stated several times that we will not have calls to prayer, although would they be much different then the church bells I hear daily? Not at all! I actually find the bells quite soothing. I do appreciate the community around the proposed site's concerns for safety. However, all the dangers and inconveniences that have been raised are preexisting. How come the Condo associations have not hired a lawyer and gone to the city to fight for for a traffic light, speed limit signs, speed bumps, a flashing light on the corner, or simply more Police patrolling to stop all the speeding traffic? Just a thought.
As for asking us to relocate, when the site was being purchased, we went to the city to ask about and abide by their zoning regulations for this structure. All of those regulations have been followed and met. To ask our community to eat all the money it has already put up towards the purchase, planning, and maintenance of this site is simply ridiculous. Mr. Santo said it best when he stated the decision will be made strictly by zoning. If this is true, I see no reason this proposal should be denied. We have fully complied with all of Norwalk's zoning regulations and will continue to do so as residents of this city and a part of the greater community.
Next time the USDL wants talk about America and criticize the intentions of it's citizens, they should consider spelling defence the American way, defense, not the English way. Maybe their views need updating as well as their vocabulary.
COEXISTENCE LEADS TO PEACE!!!
Unfortunately we have seen what has happened with Europe and "coexistence". Nothing but a religion of hate and intolerance for Christians, Jews and Homosexuals. Last time I checked no Catholic churches had members indicted for funding terrorism. Maybe when they start letting Christians build more Christian churches in the middle east you will get a different opinion.
I especially like whats going on in our Judicial system with American Laws for American Courts bill. CAIR has systematically tried to defeat this bill so as to give comity to Sharia Law in our legal system. What's funny is we don't see anyone from the so called "religion of peace" standing up against any of these organizations that speak for your institution. There are now 23 cases in where Sharia law has brought into court eg; Honor killings, assaults and pedophilia.
It's sad that so many people in Fairfield county have no idea whats being brought to their neighborhoods.
And you could look up defence in the dictionary.
For anyone reading this please watch this video from Center for Security Policy in Washington and educate yourselves on what is going on in our country and our judicial system.
http://muslimbrotherhoodinamerica.com/
Since one of America’s founding pillars is that everyone is equal before the law, should America grant freedom to those who, under the pretext of religion, desire to enact an unequal legal system, where Jews are untermenschen or called apes and pigs, or where women are beaten or stoned, or where men can have multiple wives, or where daughters can be honored killed, or where apostates are murdered?
What you have to ask is do they plan on broadcasting prayer 5 times a day out of the minuet. This equals noise pollution and should be brought up at the next zoning meeting.
Also where is the money coming from? A 27000sf building is going to cost close to 10mil. They say they are going to raise money. This is load of bull. Most of the christian churches cant even afford to pay their heating bills. And this small congregation is going raise that much money? All the college Islam study centers were all funded buy foreign money and this will be no different. This is going to be a barracks because Islam is a political,military and religious ideology.
Members of Al Madany Islamic Center have agreed not to do prayer calls as part of their application. I don't have a figure on the projected construction cost.
I just hope it doesn't go thru...zoning should consider the impact it would have on a residential neighborhood...which has it's busy times (people heading to or from work, school kids going to/from school..afterschool activities, baseball games...etc)...driving in that area, I see people jogging...two and three in a row, in the road, kids crossing w/o looking...bicyclists, dog walkers...there is that sharp curve in which I see people speeding around...it will make the area 100 times worse...
Are they actually saying that the cheapest place in NORWALK that you can buy 1.5 acre with a 1,000 sq/feet house already on it is at the border of West Norwalk on Fillow Street? I never realized that West Norwalk was the cheapest real estate in town! This should be a really big red flag to everyone... I guess if we believe that argument, then we should believe that they are building a 27,000 sq/ft multi-use facility for only 86 cars to come for only 1 hour every Friday afternoon will very little use beyond that. Why do I feel like little red ridding hood?
But forget about all that and just look at the picture, who can argue that this HUGE white cement bunker-like building belongs in this residential area? If this was a Walmart, a school, a public building or a private residence, we would be outraged! and we are...