Mosque Proposal Requires Revision, Harford County Officials Say

BEL AIR, MD — A mosque proposed in Harford County drew a standing-room-only crowd Wednesday morning to Bel Air. More than 220 people attended a meeting where developers were told additional information would be required before their plans for the house of worship can proceed.

Crescent Investment Group LLC, a development company based in Churchville, wants to subdivide 54.37 acres at 2215 Creswell Road. Previously, the land was used as a farm. There is a house on the site as well as the barn.

The developer plans to use an existing building for a 60-person house of worship on 11.87 acres.

Related: Mosque Proposed On Creswell Road

"My clients are seeking to develop the property by using the existing structures, primarily the barn, to develop a worship center," attorney Robert Lynch said. "It would be utilized by Harford Islamic Center and managed by a nine-member board."

The board members are Harford County residents, who plan worship opportunities for 25 to 27 Harford County families, he said.

A total of about 55 to 60 people would attend, according to Lynch, who said "the goal is to develop worship opportunities."

One man said he had grown up in Bel Air and waited his whole life for someplace like this.

"All we've wanted since I was a little kid was one permanent place of worship," Faras Aamir, 24, said. "We used to bounce around from garages" and office buildings to worship since there were no mosques in Harford County, he said, stating he traveled an hour or two to go to Baltimore or Washington, D.C., to worship.

The plan that was proposed calls for renovating existing structures and putting in 20 parking spaces, 10 of which would be green, based on zoning code requirements.

Access to the house of worship would come from Quail Creek Court, a residential street that contains 15 homes.

Plans to subdivide a property trigger a technical review by the Harford County Development Advisory Committee — a panel of county, state, federal and utility agencies that provide feedback.

The health department, fire department, sheriff's office, public works and State Highway Administration are some of the agencies that provide input. More than one agency suggested changes to the plan as proposed.

Proposal Hits Snag In Review

Both the subdivision plan and the site plan "cannot be approved at this time," Leonard Walinski of the Harford County Health Department said during his part of the review Wednesday in Bel Air.

Certain information was not provided or was incomplete, he said.

A written description of all events and activities that would be held at the site was needed, he said.

"Does the building contain a kitchen?" Walinski asked. Would the site be solely used for a house of worship, or were other uses planned, such as office space or a day care facility? Those would need to be established.

The plan also did not say whether other buildings on the site would be razed or what their potential use would be, which needed to be clarified, Walinski said.

Septic areas were not clearly delineated on the plan, he added.

Residents said they were concerned about aquifers since water was an issue in their neighborhood, and the fire service also recommended a rural hydrant be installed due to limited access to water.

Access Road A Concern

Access to the site would come from Quail Run Court, which emergency personnel also found to be problematic.

"We do recommend a second entrance/exit off MD 543," Bill Snyder of Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS said. It could be closed to the public, he said, suggesting at the very least keeping the driveway off MD 543 open for emergency access.

Phillip Snarski said that he and his wife, who live in the 2200 block of Quail Creek Court, are right across the street from the access point for the proposed mosque and had a specific concern because of that.

It "creates a direct safety danger," Snarski said. "We have a specific personal safety issue in that we have a son with special needs named Joey. Our son has Down syndrome and has documented safety issues with elopement."

A new entryway into their neighborhood would bring additional traffic onto their street, where there are no sidewalks, he said, adding: "It definitely causes a personal safety issue, specifically for Joey."

The Snarskis asked the developer to consider using MD 543 as a proposed entrance instead of their street. (Their house is on the right in the photo below, while the proposed mosque location is on the left.)

The State Highway Administration had little to say since the proposed access on the plan that was submitted was through Quail Run Court.

"SHA has no objection," Rich Zeller of the State Highway Administration said. "Access to the site will be from a county road."

He noted that his review focused on what was proposed. Should first responders want to use MD 543 for emergency access, he said an access permit would be required.

Next, the developer must amend the proposal accordingly.

"Developers must comply with code requirements in order to move forward," Harford County Government spokeswoman Cindy Mumby said. "Ultimately, any portion of the current plan that is not compliant will have to be resubmitted. If all requirements are satisfied, the next step would be plan approval. This process can take weeks or months."

This article may be updated.

All photos were taken by Elizabeth Janney/Patch.