This N.J. town is being sued in federal court after it denied approval for the construction of a mosque
Sayreville is being sued in federal court after the county’s Planning Board denied development plan approvals for mosque construction, according to the complaint filed in New Jersey district court.
Masjid Sadar, Inc. and Shameer Properties alleged in a 75-page complaint filed Nov. 21 that Sayreville officials discriminated against Masjid Sadar, an Islamic religious organization, and the property owner, Shameer, and violated their civil rights by maintaining “burdensome, discriminatory and unreasonable land use regulations and conduct” that led the board to reject mosque construction.
According to the complaint, Masjid Sadar has a lease with Shameer Properties for the property at 212, 214 and 216 Ernston Road in Parlin and has the option to take possession of the property upon approvals and construction of a place of worship.
But after seven hearings over 13 months and a long list of 24 approval conditions to which Masjid Sadar agreed, as well as many design waivers and changes, the board still rejected the site plan application.
Sayreville officials declined to comment on the case.
The Islamic organization began holding meetings at a shuttered law office on the property in September 2021, and about 60 people attended the first ceremonies, according to the complaint.
The community grew rapidly, and an effort to build a new mosque became necessary after district officials fined the organization. $700,000 for “tent” construction on the property without proper permits and without any code violations, according to the complaint.
The city also issued an order to stop construction, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the organization submitted its first site plan application to the Zoning Regulation Board in February 2022 with the aim of building a new mosque and demolishing existing structures on the property.
According to the complaint, Masjid Sadar initially proposed a three-story, 36,552-square-foot mosque, but reduced the size of the mosque to 25,363 square feet to comply with current zoning requirements, including impermeable pavement regulations.
The complaint alleges that he was subjected to “unusual” questions and demands, such as carrying out vibration studies on Masjid al-Sadar, providing traffic control to the police during Friday prayers, revealing carpet designs, whether basketball matches will be held in the mosque and whether the area will be suitable for bus traffic.
Masjid Sadar was also questioned about the number of people on site at certain times and whether the site could accommodate the required parking spaces, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the organization worked with the county to offset the expected parking load by reducing the capacity of houses of worship, renting parking spaces near the site and providing parking elevators.
The complaint also includes derogatory messages about Muslims from the community on social media message boards to which authorities responded.
Sayreville attorneys have 21 days to respond to the complaint.
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