DuPage mosque project wants to add dome, minaret

Recent changes to DuPage County's zoning laws could pave the way for a planned mosque near Willowbrook to have a dome and minaret, despite a previous vote that rejected those distinctive structural features.

Muslim Educational and Cultural Center of America has approval to construct a roughly 47,000-square-foot mosque on almost 5 acres along 91st Street near Route 83.

But in February, the county board refused to give the group permission to exceed DuPage's 36-foot height restriction in unincorporated residential neighborhoods. At the time, the group needed a height variance to add a 69-foot dome and 79-foot minaret to the future mosque.

But then in October, DuPage adopted a set of zoning law changes that apply to churches, mosques and other places of assembly.

One of those revisions allows religious design elements — including bell towers, steeples and crosses — to exceed 36 feet as long as certain setback requirements are met. However, the features can't be taller than 72 feet.

“MECCA didn't have the chance to bring the heights down to what was perceived to be acceptable to the county board,” said Mark Daniel, the Elmhurst-based attorney representing the group. “Now under the new ordinance, they have the right to go in and ask for this relief.”

MECCA has started the process of trying to amend its conditional-use permit to include a shorter 50-foot dome and 60-foot minaret. A county zoning board of appeals hearing on the petition is scheduled to resume on Jan. 9.

The county board eventually will get the final say on whether any changes can be made to MECCA's conditional-use permit.

In the meantime, neighbors are expected to oppose the changes even though MECCA moved the planned location of the dome east away from neighboring residential parcels. The dome would be more than 300 feet away from residential neighbors to the west.

Following the old zoning rules, county board members in February said MECCA representatives couldn't show a legal hardship to justify a height variance.

DuPage officials said the height limit for residential areas was adopted in 2005. Since that time, the county hasn't allowed any variances for religious uses.

In the meantime, MECCA is hoping to start building the mosque by March. The construction is expected to take 18 months from the date work begins.