The Des Plaines Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-1 Tuesday night to oppose the use of a two-story, 6,200-square-foot office building at 1974 Miner St. for religious and educational purposes by a school of Islamic Sufism.
Board member Dan Fletcher said his vote against the conditional-use permit “basically goes to parking.”
More Top Picks Best Learning Toys For Autistic Toddlers
“My personal feeling is that they should look for a site to accommodate growth,” Fletcher said.
The Sufi group proposing the center, M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi, was established 1,400 years ago in Jordan and has more than 1 million students worldwide, said the local group’s spokesman, Jafar Rouzati.
The closest organized group now meets in Racine, Wis., Rouzati said.
Sixteen on-site parking spaces and a lease agreement for 15 additional spaces at a nearby office building would more than accommodate an expected maximum of 50 visitors during Sunday and Monday evening meetings, Rouzati said.
“A religious building in a mixed-use area is in character for the neighborhood,” said Des Plaines Community Development Director Mike D’Onofrio.
A traffic study by the city determined that the new use would have a “negligible” impact on traffic in the area, D’Onofrio said.
D’Onofrio said city staff recommended approval of the permit. The City Council will vote on the permit request at a future date.
“It’s a great building. It meets a lot of our needs,” Rouzati said. “We meet all of the requirements, so I don’t see any reason why our request should not be approved.”