By admin 
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — It was a full house Monday night at the Mooresville Commissioners’ meeting as residents voiced their concerns over a proposed Islamic Center in the city.
The property for the proposed development is located on Swift Arrow Drive off Morrison Plantation Parkway. The Islamic Center of Lake Norman has owned the lot since 2019. Early construction is underway on the new, permanent location for the non-profit.
Many residents spoke in opposition to the proposed project, mostly for religious reasons, with one speaker referring to the religion as having an “evil ideology.” Another called the religion “a political regime with the ultimate goal of takeover in regions and nations.”
“It is not Islamophobic or racist or white nationalist to want to protect our everyday way of life,” one speaker said.
“Examine closely whether the building of this mosque is right for this community; I personally say no to Sharia Law and this Muslim Center,” said another.
Others mentioned potential traffic impacts and a lack of transparency, as the potential property was not listed on the agenda and details were not shared with the community.
Al Rieder with the Council on American Islamic Relations-North Carolina says comments opposing the mosque saddened and scared him.
“I think we as a society need to (do) a much better job of knowing our neighbors,” he said. “There’s a very large degree in our country of misunderstanding of Islam…Not saying that any one of those individuals would ever do harm on anybody, but the rhetoric being said could motivate somebody to do that.”
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The Islamic Center of Lake Norman said in a statement, “We follow the same laws and regulations as every other community, and the project is not expected to significantly affect traffic. Our members include business owners, physicians, pharmacists, engineers, and other local professionals. We are your neighbors and an active part of the Mooresville community. And we hope we can all connect better as neighbors.”
“We’re human beings,” said Rieder. “We’re real people. We want to be treated like that. We’re proud Americans.”
Town leaders responded following the meeting, saying, “As elected officials, it is our responsibility to ensure that the Town’s ordinances and applicable state and federal laws are applied fairly, consistently, and without preference. Every property owner and applicant is subject to the same review process and the same application of the Town’s adopted regulations.
The Board remains committed to transparency, professionalism, and the rule of law. All decisions must be based on adopted ordinances, objective standards, and legal requirements, which do not allow for different rules for different religious groups.”
The property is zoned Community Commercial, where religious assembly is permitted, by-right use under the town’s Unified Development Ordinance. Religious use has been permitted on the property since it was annexed into the town limits in 1998.
Town officials explain a by-right development means the project complies with all applicable zoning regulations and standards established by the ordinance. Because the Town Board has already established the zoning district, which allowed for the permitted uses and the development standards through the adopted UDO, a by-right project does not require “public notification, a public hearing or Town Board approval.”
The proposed site plan includes 52 parking spaces and two buildings. This includes a prayer hall and a kitchen and office building for a total space of 4,926 square feet. Four retaining walls are being installed on the site to create the buildable area for the buildings.
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