New Jersey Town Board Votes Down Proposed Mosque Near Trump National Golf Club
BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Officials in Bernards Township, New Jersey have rejected a plan to build a neighborhood mosque not far from Trump National Golf Club.
The township's planning board voted 6-0 on Tuesday to reject the plan submitted by the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge. The group has been trying for four years to win approval.
The Islamic society's president, Dr. Ali Chaudry, told WCBS 880's Levon Putney that the proposal is not dead and the group plans to consider all of its options moving forward.
"Yes it was very disappointing. Right now we use the Bernards Township community center, which I actually helped build," he said.
Dr. Chaudry said he was the first Pakistani mayor of any U.S. town when he was elected in 2004.
The site on Church Street is 7 miles from Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster. Dr. Chaudry called Donald Trump's recent comments on banning Muslims from entering the country "very unfortunate."
The board cited "lack of details'' in the proposal for parking, traffic safety and buffer zones for the homes bordering the site, according to Courier News of Bridgewater.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
