(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A proposal for a Muslim mosque that was denied three years ago by the Henrico County Board of Supervisors met a different fate Tuesday.
The 5-0 vote to rezone a 3.6-acre property on Impala Drive, near Hilliard Road, was the final hurdle to clear for Muslim investors who want to build a mosque on the site.
The unanimous vote, called "the right thing at the right time" by the Rev. Charles Swadley, retired pastor of Lakeside United Methodist Church, was met with joy by the Muslim community.
"It's been a long process. We really appreciate all the effort that went into achieving the result that we were hoping for," said Imam Ammar Amonette. "We're very thankful we're going to be able to move forward."
Imad Damaj, the president of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs, said the decision was a prime example of democracy.
"I'm so glad that the board saw the light and finally approved it," he said.
The 10,500-square-foot place of worship originally was proposed in 2008 but was rejected 3-2 by the supervisors. It gained the approval of the county's Planning Commission last month.
The lot has been vacant for more than 25 years and previously was zoned as office space. A maximum of about 100 people at a time would use the facility, which is expected to serve a north-of-the-James Muslim community of about 4,000 people.
Brookland District Supervisor Richard W. Glover cited the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act as a reason for the outcome of the vote Tuesday.
The act is designed to protect religious institutions from burdensome zoning-law restrictions on land use.
"This particular case is a compelling issue. Even with traffic that is there, it is not considered a compelling reason to deny this case," said Glover, who made the motion for approval. "There are no compelling reasons that I've searched for to make sure that we didn't impose on the community something we could stop."
Sixteen speakers, including many from the faith community, overwhelmingly supported the mosque, and seven voiced opposition to the plan during the nearly 100-minute public hearing.
"Rise above the negativity … and I ask you to lead, do the right thing, do the American thing," Glen Allen resident Sam Ward implored the board before the vote. "Approve the mosque and uphold the American position of freedom of religion."
Those who spoke against the mosque stressed that it's not about religious persecution but an issue of traffic and preserving the community's identity.
A traffic engineer with the county said Impala Drive is safe to handle the increased traffic.
Resident Scott Benton cautioned the board to tread carefully when making the decision.
"This is a house of worship. Once it's here, it's here," said Benton, whose property on Lafayette Avenue backs up to the mosque property. "It will impact me every day. People that go to the mosque, worship at the mosque, it's much more mine than it is theirs — 24/7 it is in my face, it is in my house."
County Administrator Virgil R. Hazelett had to rein in one opposition speaker during the hearing.
Sue Blake, who lives three blocks from the site, held up a copy of the Quran but was interrupted by Hazelett, who said that she could voice her objections but that he would not allow criticism of religious beliefs during the public hearing.
"That's very fair," she said, before raising issues of traffic and the number of people using the mosque.
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