Suburban Board Approves Controversial Mosque
CHICAGO (WBBM) - Board members voted 13-5 to support a conditional-use permit for Muslim Educational and Cultural Center of America, which wants to build on nearly five wooded acres along 91st Street near Route 83. The roughly 47,000-square-foot structure would include a weekend school and a gymnasium.
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Residents in the rural area near 91st street and Route 83 say a mosque would lead to parking and flooding problems and disrupt the quiet area.But the DuPage County Board disagreed and voted to support a conditional use permit for MECCA.
Today's decision came a month after MECCA representatives announced that they were reducing the structure's size by 10,000 square feet and eliminating a multipurpose room from the proposal amid concerns about traffic and the size of the building.
Despite MECCA downsizing the project, nearby homeowners remained strongly opposed because they're worried about the possible negative impacts on their neighborhood.
Officials who supported the mosque said the scaled-down plans and a list of conditions imposed on the property represented the best attempt at finding "a middle ground."
