The imam who wants to build a cultural center near Ground Zero has a follow-up court date in Bayonne in February.
Representatives of Feisal A. Rauf appeared in Bayonne Municipal Court yesterday to deal with fines the imam has been assessed by the City of Union City for code violations at a property he owns in Union City.
After a 20-minute conference with both sides, Bayonne Municipal Court Judge Frank Carpenter said the case would be heard at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 2.
Carpenter added that a number of pertinent documents from a Superior Court trial had not yet been received by Bayonne Prosecutor Robert Hennessey or the imam’s lawyer, Tomas Espinosa.
The case was transferred to Bayonne to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, officials said.
Union City sued Sage Development, the company owned by Rauf, over the violations that were discovered in September at 2206 Central Ave., a 16-unit building.
The building was placed in the city’s receivership from Nov. 9 to Dec. 9 - long enough for Union City officials to collect a month’s rent from the tenants and make the necessary repairs, Union City officials said.
Union City is seeking to enforce fines on 24 summonses, mostly dealing with a hot water heater and bed bug infestations found in the 16-unit building.
The fine for each violation can be as high as $2,000.
Rauf is the imam who has proposed to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan.