Zoning board rejects Islamic center's plan

The Town of North Hempstead's Board of Zoning Appeals has denied a request from the Hillside Islamic Center to convert an adjacent residential property into a parking lot for worshipers.

BZA vice chairman Donal McCarthy said the board rejected the application Wednesday because it failed to meet the statutory standards required when applying for a variance. He would not provide details about the decision.

The New Hyde Park mosque's attorney, Raymond Smolenski, was not aware of the ruling against the proposal. "I really can't comment until I see it," he said.

Abdul Aziz Bhuiyan, a member of the mosque board of directors, also was unaware of the ruling. "We don't know anything about it yet," he said.

The issue was not listed on the board's agenda posted on North Hempstead's website. Town spokesman Collin Nash said the matter was listed on a printed paper agenda handed out at the meeting.

The center proposed creating the parking lot so worshipers would not park on surrounding streets, an issue nearby residents had raised with the town.

During a public hearing in September that about 100 people attended, some residents said they were worried the parking lot would hurt property values and the constant activity at the mosque was hurting quality of life in the neighborhood. They were also concerned about the mosque adding more parking lots in the future.

Eddie Weiss, who lives near the mosque, said the neighborhood opposition had nothing to do with religion but rather with introducing commercial activity into a residential area.

"People were concerned with what was going on in the neighborhood," he said. "It had nothing to do with any religious issues. This would have been the same issue if it had been a 7-Eleven trying to do the same thing."

Nash said appeals would have to be made to the State Supreme Court, where a judge could rule on the issue, send the case back to the zoning board or let the decision stand.