Norwalk Common Council To Consider Mosque Plan Tuesday

NORWALK, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- A massive turnout is expected Tuesday night in Norwalk as the Common Council gets set to vote again on a proposal to build a large Islamic center in a residential area of the city.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, neighbors who oppose the Al-Madany Islamic Center project worry that the 42,000-square-foot mosque and community hall will draw hundreds of people to West Norwalk, ruining their quality of life while jamming local streets with traffic.

Last month, city and mosque officials agreed to settle the case after Al-Madany filed a lawsuit that included allegations of discrimination after its earlier building plan was rejected.

Under the proposed settlement, which requires approval from the Zoning Commission and Common Council, the city and its insurer would reportedly pay the Al-Madany Islamic Center around $300,000. The size of the project, meanwhile, would be scaled back by nearly 22,000 square feet -- or about 26 percent its original size.

The zoning panel approved the proposed settlement 4-3 last week.

Councilman David McCarthy, who represents people in the district, said the controversy is not over religious freedom, but rather the massive size of the project. He said he will vote against it.

"I think this issue in the neighborhood is that the application, even as it has been modified in this settlement, is still a 42,000-square-foot development on a 1 1/2-acre parcel," he told Schneidau.

"The issue is not the mosque itself," he added. "The issue is the accessory building, which is in fact larger than the prayer hall that is supposedly the primary use."

Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. meeting has been relocated to City Hall's Community Room to accommodate the larger crowd, The Hour newspaper reported. Public comments will be heard.

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