ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE, Minn. (KMSP) - After months of debate, the St. Anthony Village City Council has rejected plans to build an Islamic center in the basement of the old Medtronic building -- and some in the Muslim community claim the proposal was voted down due to discrimination.
Just a few days ago, the city's planning commission approved the project, but it's just an advisory board. The ultimate decision always rested with the City Council, which argued that the issue was one of land use and zoning -- not of religious intolerance.
Yet, one civil rights group told FOX 9 News they plan to contact the Department of Justice in the coming days to investigate what happened in the small suburb of Minneapolis. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the department has already gotten involved in more than two dozen rejected mosque projects across the nation.
The chamber was packed on Tuesday night as people on both sides of the issue made their opinions known.
A local Muslim group, known as Abu Huraira, proposed buying the old Medtronics headquarters building on Old Highway 8 in February. Their dream was to turn nearly 13,000 square feet of the lower level into an Islamic center for prayer and gathering space, but the city said some confusion about zoning issues made it unclear if a place of religious assembly was allowed.
So, the city studied the issue, clarified its zoning ordinance, and then rejected the proposal outright by a vote of 4-1.
"It pains me to vote against something people are so passionate about," said Councilman Randy Stille. "It's a land use issue -- nothing more. Always has been."
The Star Tribune reports that the Justice Department has launched investigations into 28 similar cases where new mosques were blocked.
CAIR-MN Will Ask DOJ to Probe Rejection of Mosque Plan
The St. Anthony City Council has voted down a conditional use permit that would have allowed a former Medtronic building to be used for an Islamic center.
Tuesday evening's 4-1 vote against the permit came after a roughly two and a half hour hearing that drew nearly 100 people, most of them against the project.
The Abu-Huraira Islamic Center had requested a conditional use permit that would have allowed them to move into the first floor of the former Medtronic building, located off of Old Highway 8. The building is currently zoned light industrial and city code only lets places of worship exist in residential areas.
The city issued a four-month moratorium to study the zoning issue, prompting the Council on American Islamic Relations to accuse the council of intentionally slowing the process due to community opposition.
City officials say it is strictly a zoning issue because keeping the property as industrial would generate more taxes for the city.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, an attorney for the Islamic center said the group could file a lawsuit against the city for discrimination if the permit isn't approved.
The permit had previously been approved by the city's Planning Commission.
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