Plainfield Board Fails To Vote On Muslim Community Center

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield Village Board on Monday rejected a motion to delay a vote on a local group's request to open a Muslim community center on Main Street and failed to make any other motion, leaving the Islamic Foundation of the Southwest Suburbs' plans in limbo for now. Earlier this year, the group raised money to purchase a former church and Montessori school at 23616 W. Main St., with plans to relocate from its current location at a Route 59 storefront. The plan drew concerns from neighbors over a potential increase in traffic in the residential area, as well as the potential for early morning calls to prayer.

On Monday, village Director of Planning Jonathan Proulx said the applicant, Zaki Basalath, has agreed with village staff that a maximum occupant load of 150 is reasonable for the facility. In response to concerns about parking at the facility, board members questioned whether maximum occupancy could be reduced to as little as 114.

But board member Larry Newton's motion to table the vote for two weeks to allow Basalath to further work with village staff ended in a tie, with Mayor Mike Collins casting the deciding no vote. The agenda item for Monday's village board meeting was a vote to accept the Plainfield Plan Commission's findings of fact on the case and direct the village attorney to draft an ordinance granting the group a special use permit. The ordinance would still have to be approved by the board.

Trustees Newton, Bill Lamb and Ed O'Rourke voted in favor of tabling the issue, while Margie Bonuchi, Cally Larson and Brian Wojowski voted no before Collins broke the tie.

A report to the board indicated that village staff believes the project, dubbed the Plainfield Community Center, would be comparable in intensity and impact on the neighborhood to the building's previous use as a Montessori.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 67 people had signed a petition urging the board to vote against the project. Most of the respondents didn't use their names and cited traffic concerns, particularly on Ash Street.

"This area has no traffic signals to aid in the potential increases in traffic," the petition notes. "A traffic survey was completed and the report was not favorable, it did not even take into effect the school and bus traffic, or increase in trains that back up 126 for miles. This land is zoned residential for a reason and the Plainfield neighborhood would like to see it kept that way. This not only will affect market resale value of home owners it will also disrupt the neighbors lives."

Neighbor Trudi Olivo told Patch she's concerned with the potential traffic and believes the Islamic Foundation of the Southwest Suburb has not been transparent about the purpose of the community center. "They're not forthcoming that this is going to be an Islamic center," she said, adding. "The influx of additional traffic, especially on Ash Street, is going to be unbearable."

A GoFundMe campaign for the project noted that it was the group's intention to purchase the former church "for Plainfield Muslims." According to the Islamic Foundation's website, fundraising efforts netted a total of more than $300,000 for the project. The fundraising site indicates the organization was able to negotiate a deal to purchase the property for $580,000.

Basalath told Patch only minor renovations would be needed to allow the group to move from its current Route 59 location. On Monday, he said the group has outgrown its current location. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Newton asked Basalath to address concerns posted by residents online, including questions about whether the Muslim faith's daily calls to prayer would include a 3 a.m. prayer service at the site. According to a village staff report, prayer services would take place at the following times:

• 1st prayer: 30 minutes prior to sunrise
• 2nd prayer: 1:30 p.m.
• 3rd prayer: two hours before sunset
• 4th prayer: Sunset
• 5th prayer: 8:30 p.m.

Basalath said he believes attendance at early morning services would be minimal. "I don't anticipate a lot of people coming there," he said.

Currently, the location has 38 parking spaces. Proulx said he would like to hear from residents whether they would like the village to prohibit street parking at the location. If the group wants to convert green space on the property to additional parking, that request would have to come back before the village board for a vote, he said.

The board adjourned to closed session Monday without taking action on the proposal. Basalath on Tuesday told Patch he has not yet received an update on the status of the special use permit request, but said he expects to hear back from village officials soon.

Image via GoFundMe