Minnesota Sikh Temple Has Tentative Plans for Fridley Property

The deadly , has pushed Minnesota’s 500-family Sikh community into the spotlight.

Until last year the Sikh Society of Minnesota had a home in a former Fridley McDonald's, at 5831 University Ave. NE, and the temple still owns property at 5350 Monroe St. NE and has tentative plans to develop the property in the future.

Kehar Singh, the former president of the Sikh Society of Minnesota, said the temple decided to move to Bloomington instead of building on the 2.2 acre Monroe Street property.

“The market dropped and it became cheaper to buy a new building and renovate it rather than build a new building,” Singh said.

Singh said they have no active plans to sell the Monroe Street property and that it may be used for religious purposes in the future as the community expands.

Scott Hickok, Fridley’s community development director, said that the temple has consistently renewed their special permit to the property’s residential zoning, which allows them to use the property for religious purposes in the future.

“They had varied ideas about how they’d use it,” Hickok said. “At one point they thought it would be for their temple, another point they thought it would kind of be their community center for formal gatherings, dinners, education.”