Mosque downsizes to meet DuPage board members’ concerns

A planned mosque in southeast DuPage County has been downsized amid concerns about traffic and the size of the proposed structure.

Representatives of Muslim Educational and Cultural Center of America on Tuesday said the group has decided to eliminate a multipurpose room from their proposal for a mosque on 91st Street near Willowbrook. As a result, the structure’s size has been reduced from 57,000 square feet to about 47,000 square feet.

Mark Daniel, MECCA’s attorney, told members of the county board’s development committee the decision was “difficult” for the group to make.

“Frankly, I have never seen an applicant reach out and try to satisfy every one of the 18 members of the county board,” Daniel said. “They directly hit the issues from certain county board members head on.”

Because there were concerns about what traffic could be generated from the multipurpose room, Daniel said, it was agreed to remove that area from the plan, which still includes a weekend school and a gymnasium.

“It was a significant loss to everybody,” Daniel said.

The change comes a week after the county board voted 15-2 to deny MECCA’s request for a height variance.

Daniel indicated in a letter to county board members that MECCA hasn’t abandoned its efforts to get permission to exceed the county’s height restriction of 36 feet so it could have a dome and minaret. Because the revised plan lowers the height of the mosque, a dome and minaret would be roughly 48 feet tall.

Despite the changes to the plan, neighbors said they remain opposed to the project for a variety of reasons. Development committee members Tuesday talked about one of those reasons: traffic.

Luay Aboona, a consultant hired by MECCA, said his traffic analysis shows surrounding roads, including Route 83, wouldn’t be greatly affected by people attending the mosque’s five daily prayers. Even when the facility is busiest during a Friday afternoon prayer service, Aboona said, “there is plenty of capacity to accommodate that traffic.”

But county board member Brian Krajewski said he believes there are “holes” in the traffic study. For example, he said, the study doesn’t indicate the amount of traffic that could be generated by special events or activities during the weekday rush hour.

To answer traffic-related questions and give the county staff time to review the revised plan, the development committee continued the discussion to its March 15 meeting.

The delay prompted supporters of the project to urge board members to act sooner rather than later.

Mark Williamson, an associate pastor with St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheaton, said MECCA has “gone above and beyond what seems to be expected of most religious institutions” in DuPage.

“I would strongly encourage you to not keep MECCA waiting over and over again,” Williamson said. “They have been very cooperative, and we strongly believe that they will be good neighbors.”