Kane County delays decision on mosque
A McHenry County-based Muslim organization spent the past 10 years renting halls and borrowing public school classrooms for its worship gatherings. Now it will spend at least another 30 days waiting to see if it can use a more permanent space in Kane County.
The American Muslim Community Organization already cleared Kane County's Zoning Board last week. The group's plan calls for converting a home just west of Carpentersville, near Huntley and Boyer Roads, into a mosque. With a 750-foot addition, group leaders believe the home could accommodate as many as 80 people.
The organization came before the county board's Development Committee Tuesday. There, the Muslim group met with opposition from L&H Farm, a neighbor to the south, east and a sliver of property to the north of the proposed mosque. Owners of the farm want a traffic and septic system study to measure the safety impact of the mosque. Farm owners also objected to “spot zoning” the site for residential use in what they described as a high-traffic area that is best suited for commercial use.
The commercial argument didn't find any favor with the board committee. However, the potential health problem of an overstressed septic system did raise a few eyebrows.
“I can't believe that you can have 80 people using a septic system on a system designed for single family,” said board member Mike Kenyon.
Fazal Khan, president of the Muslim organization, indicated it would be some time before 80 people use the site at one time. The group typically has eight to 10 people at daily prayers. Friday is the largest prayer day when as many as 30 people gather at one time, Khan said.
“We don't anticipate fast growth,” he added.
Committee members ordered a health department review of the septic system before granting approval of the mosque application. That will delay the mosque plan for at least 30 days. Given the delay, committee members said they'd like county staffers to take a closer look at the access to and from the site as well.
That said, none of the committee members opposed the overall idea of the plan. Carpentersville officials have sent the county a letter saying they are not opposed to the plan, either.