Alpharetta board rejects Islamic center expansion
Leaders of the Islamic Center of North Fulton will take expansion plans to the Alpharetta City Council on May 24 with one strike against them.
On Thursday night, the city planning commission voted 7-0 to recommend rejection of the plans.
Neighbors in the subdivisions around the worship center had complained the project would worsen traffic and be too big for the 4-acre lot. Planning commission members were clearly bothered by something that happened years ago, when the worship center was in unincorporated Fulton County.
Fulton County approved when the congregation moved into a ranch-style house in 1998, and again in 2004 when it added a second house as a residence for the imam. But a condition of both approvals was that the worship center not expand beyond those buildings. Alpharetta annexed the property in 2005.
“I think the commitment made was an important one that neighbors relied on,” said commission member Will Gurley.
The worship center's lawyer, Nathan "Pete" Hendricks, said the conditions needed to be re-examined because times have changed. Back when the Islamic Center of North Fulton was founded, no other centers existed in North Fulton. Now several have popped up, he said.
"At each of those points in time they felt in all honesty they could continue to function on that property with the existing conditions," he said Friday.
Moiz Mumtaz, a congregation leader, remained optimistic.
"We will work to see how we can overcome this setback," he said Friday.
The congregation wants to tear down the 2,500-square-foot ranch-style house where the congregation now worships and construct two buildings: a 1,900-square-foot multi-purpose building and a 12,000-square-foot, two-story main building.
About 150 people crowded into city hall for the planning commission meeting to hear city planners say the worship center lot and Rucker Road could accommodate the expansion. Nineteen people spoke against the expansion, 32 in favor. The commission voted shortly before midnight.
Some congregation members explained aspects of the Muslim religion during their three minutes at the microphone. But none of the opponents mentioned religion, except to say it didn’t matter in this case.
“If this were a Southern Baptist Church or a QuikTrip … it would not make any difference whatsoever,” said John Monson, a former city council member.
About 600 people are now affiliated with the center, though many of them don't worship there. The city said about 25 people attend five prayer services every day except Friday, when about 250 people worship at the 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. services. Residents said traffic is at its worst during those times.
