Local Mosques Denied Permits
By aaroncynic in News on Aug 27, 2010 6:30PM
As the (manufactured) national debate on the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero rages on and our own politicians have already opined, two mosques in the Chicagoland area have been denied permits. CBS2 reports the city denied the permit for a mosque in West Rogers Park on the location of the now vacant U Lucky Dawg restaurant. The local chamber of commerce opposed the construction of the mosque based on economic concerns. The vacant hot dog stand sits near the corner of Western Ave and Pratt Blvd, which the chamber feels should be used to spur economic growth.
In west suburban Willowbrook, the Doings Weekly reports the Village Board of Directors objected to a proposed mosque on 91st street citing concerns over flooding if the project goes through. Village Planner Jo Ellen Charlton said the village needed more time to go over the zoning plans surrounding the mosque. Mark Daniel, attorney for The Muslim Education Cultural Center of America, tried to assuage fears over increased traffic and flooding by saying the group has plans to alleviate those issues. The DuPage County Zoning board hearing the request will reconvene on August 30th.
While the concerns raised in both cases are legitimate for now, it remains to be seen if the communities in question will find a mutually beneficial solution. In each case, Muslim houses of worship have expanding congregations in the area. But the furor over the New York Islamic center has spilled over throughout the country, with more high profile cases of permits being denied for mosques popping up in Tennessee, Kentucky and California.
While we think the zoning concerns in both cases (Willowbrook moreso than Chicago) are legitimate, they're both easily remedied. The people planning the mosque in Willowbrook appear to already have a plan on how to address the flooding concerns. As for Chicago, if they're thinking long term - that they would rather a business be there - that's fine. But how long is that property going to sit vacant? Wouldn't it be better to have something there, especially something that appears to be meant to help members of the community, than another vacant boarded up building? Tempers are touchy and we'd hate to accuse folks of hiding prejudice behind zoning ordinances, but in the aforementioned extreme cases, it's obvious that people were digging for a reason.
When fringe loudmouths get national press because they plan to burn copies of the Koran, it’s hard to not wonder how much of the rancor the national conversation has seeped into logistics planning for local houses of worship. Hopefully, the answer is none at all.