After hearing neighborhood residents complain about potential safety problems and other issues, the Henrico County Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved plans for a mosque in the Short Pump area.
The West End Islamic Center plans to build a 35,141-square-foot mosque with space for worship, a day-care center, classrooms, a kitchen, office space and a conference room.
Representatives for the center said construction is probably about three years away as the center raises funds for the $3.5 million building on about 4.8 acres where Shady Grove and Twin Hickory roads intersect.
The mosque is the third to earn approval from Henrico’s planners.
Ground was broken recently for a 10,500-square-foot mosque on 3.6 acres on Impala Drive near Hilliard Road. A 30,277-square-foot mosque on a 5.2-acre lot on Hungary Road near Wiltshire Drive has been approved.
Those two mosques ran into resistance. The proposal for the Impala Drive mosque at first was rejected by the county but won approval after a federal complaint was filed and the U.S. Justice Department began an investigation.
Neighbors of the Hungary Road site appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of that facility’s plan of development. The appeal sent the matter back to the Henrico Board of Supervisors, which turned aside complaints and approved the mosque.
Imad Damaj, president of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs, said the three planned Henrico mosques represent a growing Muslim population in central Virginia — his rough estimate was 20,000 — and not different elements within the religion. He said the mosques will all serve Sunni Muslims.
At Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting, about a dozen residents identified themselves as opposing the plans for the mosque. Six addressed the board.
Carla Lane complained that a mosque would add to already congested traffic and alter the “yesteryear” nature of the Twin Hickory, making it dangerous for children to walk to school and other places in the neighborhood.
Other residents questioned whether a mosque would mean loud calls to worship, overflow parking and bright lights at night. One woman said the mosque would be incompatible with a residential community.
The neighborhood’s long-running problems with nearby Deep Run High School surfaced during the meeting. Some complained about students parking on neighborhood streets, about young drivers posing safety problems, and about lights during football games. Residents complained that these problems would be exacerbated by the presence of the mosque.
Henrico Planning Director R. Joseph Emerson Jr. addressed the compatibility of the neighborhood with the mosque, pointing out that places of worship and residential areas have coexisted for centuries. “It’s a normal pattern of development in the United States,” he said.
Planning staffer Kevin Wilhite said the mosque plan includes 139 parking spaces with room for 21 additional — more than the 123 required by county regulations. He noted that a second access road to the mosque property has been added to the plan. He said lighting and landscaping details will be worked out before construction can begin.
A representative of Balzer and Associates Inc., the Midlothian firm handling the planning and design of the mosque, said the mosque’s outdoor public address system will not project sound beyond the property’s boundaries.
One resident expressed concern that the mosque might end up in foreclosure or be abandoned for a lack of funding.
Moeen Khan, chief financial director for the West End Islamic Center, said the organization will not start construction until the project is on sound financial footing. He said fundraising is under way and noted that Ramadan, the Muslim period of prayer and fasting that began July 20 and ends Aug. 18, is an important time to develop support for the mosque.
After the planners’ vote Wednesday, Lane said she was disappointed. “I don’t think we were heard. I think the decision should have been deferred.”
She said more study was needed regarding traffic and the other issues raised by residents.
“I’m not opposing this because it is a mosque,” she said. “I’m concerned with the safety of our children and with the impact on our neighborhood.”
Khan said members of the West End Islamic Center shared concerns about the community.
“Many of our board members belong to the same community,” he said. “Our children go to the same schools and play on the same playgrounds.”
Frank J. Thornton, who represents the Henrico Board of Supervisors at meetings of the Planning Commission, urged the Islamic center to “address the issues of change and collegiality” by making extra efforts to communicate. “It’s important for you as new neighbors to establish this ambience,” he said.