Islamic Society eyes expansion, traffic relief
By: Brian Shappell
Members of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey say plans to build a parking garage will go a long way to alleviate congestion on roads near the society.
They also say the society’s current school is run out of trailers and that a proposed school should be approved so students can meet standards set by the state and the Middlesex County Board of Education.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment is expected to vote on a project to expand and renovate the Islamic Society of Central New Jersey at 7:45 tonight (Thursday) at the Municipal Building.
The society is proposing to renovate the 12,700-square-foot mosque, located on Route 1, and build a 14,000-square-foot community center; a 52,000-square-foot school; a 40,000-square-foot office building; 48 units of senior citizen housing and a two-story parking garage.
Islamic Society representatives have said the expansion is necessary to meet the needs of a growing congregation and is expecially needed for Friday night worship service and the school.
The society needs a variance for the proposed office building because it is more than one-story tall. Two variances are needed for the parking deck, one because it is expected to be more than 35 feet high and another because it is proposed to be too close to the property line. A variance also is needed to allow for the construction of a school in an area zoned for houses of worship and business uses.
A crowd of more than 100 residents filled the municipal center meeting room last week to hear testimony. According to board member Charles Carley, the number of supporters mostly members of the society and those opposing the project consisiting of residents of Princeton Gate and Richmond Road was nearly equal.
Project Coordinator Behram Turan said the board of directors for the Islamic Society realizes there currently is a parking and circulation problem at the site especially during the main prayer service on Friday afternoons, called Juma.
"We really do need additional parking to ease the problems we’re having with people parking off site," Mr. Turan said. "We want to eliminate the need for people to search for alternatives."
The high attendance sometimes leads to gridlock for people entering the property before the service and exiting afterwards at the Route 1 driveway. Members say they seek off street parking on Richard Road or Promenade Boulevard so they can get back to their homes or places of business.
Richard Road is located just north of the society on Route 1 south.
"On a normal Friday, not even on a holiday, it gets packed people are double and triple parking," said Seham Aboulenain, a West Windsor member that is a 13-year member of the center. "People have to park throughout Richard Road and walk down Route 1, which can be very dangerous."
Some members said it takes up to 30 minutes just to leave the lot following services and becomes a nerve-racking situation and those who do not arrive early run the risk of missing the service altogether.
"If I come five minutes late, I can’t find a spot anywhere," Ms. Aboulenain said. She said conditions are even worse on days when there is a national holiday because students or members employed far away from the facility are able to attend.
Mr. Turan said getting permision to build the school, which will allow students up to the 12th-grade to receive their education, also is a concern.
Imam Hamad Ahmed Chebli said the school would run much like parochial schools for the Catholic or Jewish faiths.
Mr. Turan, Imam Chebli and Abdel-Rehim Riad, former chairman of the Islamic Society, all said having a school facility to replace the cramped, dingy trailers currently used would improve the educational experience for students as well as moral. They said it is important to many Islamic families to have their children learn under the standards dictated by the state and the Middlesex County Board of Education while also learning the teachings of the Koran.
"Now they get their education in a shack," Mr. Riad said of the use of trailers instead of a free-standing school. "We just want to give them the same opportunities as other kids in the community."