The expansion of Dar-E Abbas mosque’s parking lot in Lilburn has been approved since 2011, but now that the project is finally underway, some neighbors are objecting to city council, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“I have no idea why this is happening because this plan was supposed to be started a long time ago,” said Wasi Zaidi, trustee and CEO of Dar-E Abbas.
The city and Dar-E Abbas reached an agreement over the planned expansion in 2011 after a two-year dispute that landed in federal court. At that point, the mosque believed it would take five years to raise the money to begin the first phase of construction; seven years later, it's just begun, Zaidi told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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The project will add 178 parking spots to the mosque on Lawrenceville Highway near Hood Road. The parking lot will prevent members from having to park at nearby Bryson Park or at other locations when the mosque is busy, Zaidi said. But residents went to the Lilburn City Council meeting on Monday saying the parking lot could lead to extra traffic and slow emergency response services.
“Say, if we needed the police or the firemen and traffic’s in the way, they couldn't get here,” neighbor Donna Chapman told Channel 2.
Zaidi rejected that idea, saying that the parking lot would just allow members who already regularly attend the mosque to have more convenient on-site parking.
“We’re trying to beautify the city and add convenience to our people for parking so we don’t have to use parking for the park,” Zaidi said. “We do have a few days when our services are in the daytime, but usually our services are when there is no traffic on the street. Our members are working people, they go to work and then after they come home they go to the mosque, so they are not creating additional traffic.”
A city study concluded that the mosque’s expansion, including the new parking, would have ‘little impact’ on traffic during peak hours, Channel 2 reported. The city is exploring the possibility of adding a traffic light, something Zaidi said would be helpful to ensure safe traffic flow.
Zaidi and other mosque leaders did not know people would be complaining about the project during the city’s public comment period, but he said he’s open to talking to anybody who has problems or concerns.
“We love our neighbors. We don’t have any problems with our neighbors,” Zaidi said. “We need to keep our neighbors happy and do the right thing ... They can come and talk to us, and we can try to solve their problems if we can.”
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