Deliberations by the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission on a mosque development on 248th Avenue could begin in early October, nearly 10 months after the Islamic Center of Naperville first introduced its plans to the commission.
City staff and attorneys for the center and the opposition are expected to make their closing remarks Oct. 6 on a complex that is to include a domed mosque, school, multipurpose hall with 84-foot minaret, gymnasium and worship area on 13 acres at 3540 248th Ave.
Normally, the meeting would have been held Sept. 15 but opposition attorney Dan Shapiro asked for a delay because it conflicted with the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday. There was no other date between Sept. 15 and Oct. 6 available on which all commissioners could attend.
City attorney Patricia Lord said it is critical that every commission member attend.
“This is a highly controversial case, and we’re coming up to the most pivotal meeting of all because I expect we’ll start deliberations at the next meeting,” Lord said.
Whatever recommendation the commission makes will go to the Naperville City Council, which has the final say in the matter.
Neighbors have voiced opposition to the development because of its size and scale, increased traffic on 248th Avenue and in residential areas, potential safety problems at the Tall Grass Greenway Trail, and possible vehicle noise and lights.
The opposition’s final expert witnesses were Evanston real estate appraiser Mary Linberger and Naperville resident Chris Heinen, a municipal planning consultant for Rolf Campbell & Associates in Lincolnshire.
Linberger said based on information she collected from traffic consultant KLOA Inc.’s report, the number of vehicles on 248th Avenue when the complex is complete will drop property values by 5% at 18 homes in the immediate proximity of the roadway.
Since single-family homes experience lower values when located along streets with heavy traffic, the additional traffic added by the mosque development will only serve to make a busy road busier, she said.
“What I am going to say is that the traffic here is going to be substantial, and there’s ample evidence about the impact of traffic on single-family home values,” Linberger said.
Islamic Center attorney Len Monson said the first several phases of development will generate a maximum of 400 cars at peak times, which is minimal given that 11,000 to 12,000 vehicles use 248th Avenue on a daily basis now.
By 2050, KLOA projects daily traffic volumes will be 18,000 vehicles, 583 of which will be related to the Islamic Center, Monson said.
For homes adjacent to a religious facility, but not located on a busy street, Linberger said she found no evidence in property value loss.
Heinen said the gymnasium and multipurpose hall should not be considered as a religious use because they won’t be used during prayer sessions.
They fall into the mixed-use category, which is not consistent with residential zoning.
“Importantly, the proposed nonreligious uses for the mosque, such as a gym and multipurpose room, are not allowable conditional uses in the city’s zoning ordinance and would need to be evaluated as accessory uses,” Heinen said in his report.
Naperville community planner Sara Kopinski said the term mixed-use does not apply to this development and the city’s comprehensive plan designates the site as a community facility, which includes religious institutions.
In the case of mosque, there are no accessory structures and the worship area, school, gym and multipurpose room are all part of one religious facility.
During the first hearing, staff said the city had received an unprecedented volume of public participation, including nearly 2,000 names in support or opposition, 770 written comments and 160 people who signed up to speak.
Over the next few months, the speaker list grew to more than 500, causing the commission to establish time limits.
Efforts for both sides to come to a “good faith” resolution of their difference were not successful.
subaker@tribpub.com
