New Jersey zoning board turns down Muslim community centre

BAYONNE, N.J. – A New Jersey zoning board has turned down an application to open a Muslim community centre in a vote following five hours of discussion that the chairman said included some embarrassing audience comments.

The board voted 4-3 in favour, but the proposal needed a minimum of five affirmative votes to pass. Those who voted against it cited parking and traffic concerns.

The Jersey Journal (http://bit.ly/2lS6Bvg) reported John McDonough, a licensed professional planner, told the board the centre would not conflict with regular peak parking hours for the surrounding area.

“This land use by its very nature protects the public good,” McDonough said.

But some commissioners disagreed.

The non-profit Bayonne Muslims group has been trying since 2015 to open the centre, which would include prayer halls, a soup kitchen and classrooms. It has been using a closed school as a house of worship.

The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the decision was “bias-motivated.”

Some audience members made religious comments, which drew a rebuke from board chairman Mark Urban.

“We’re not going there,” he told the audience. “This is a zoning issue only.”

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This story has been corrected to show the board voted 4-3 in favour but needed five votes to pass, not voted down 5-4.

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Information from: The Jersey Journal , http://www.nj.com/jjournal