NW Indiana Muslim community plans subdivision surrounding mosque
The Associated Press
October 25, 2004 3:14 PM
MERRILLVILLE, IND. -- Members of a Muslim community in the Indiana suburbs of Chicago are planning a 300- to 400-acre residential community around their mosque, a spokesman said.
Development of high-end to medium-priced houses and high-end apartments is still one to two years away, but members of the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center already are acquiring land immediately west of its mosque, congregation spokesman Ali Khan said.
"A lot of subdivisions ... have country clubs but we're giving buyers an option to have a mosque as a centerpiece," Khan told The Times of Munster for a story Monday.
The plan represents the latest expansion of the region's Muslim community since the center was founded a decade ago about 30 miles southeast of Chicago. The center was remodeled two years ago to add a new 5,243-square-foot mosque and a 13,427-square-foot multipurpose room. It opened a school, Avicena Academy, in August.
Architectural sketches for the subdivision are due in May, Khan said.
"The Muslim community (in Merrillville) is growing because of a good relationship with members of the law enforcement, government officials and even those of other religions and faiths. We haven't had any negative incidents, and the word is getting around, even in Chicago," said Khan, an investment banker who lives in nearby Valparaiso.
Even so, some Merrillville officials suggest the plan has obstacles to cross before gaining approval, including extension of water and sewer lines to the area, near the Lake-Porter county line.
Town Councilman Shawn Pettit, who represents the area, said his chief concerns are the extension of the utilities as well as the potential for increased traffic. He said he already has received calls from some of the mosque's neighbors about the traffic and parking.
"I'm not against the development of the property but they have to be cognitive of those who lived there before them," Pettit said.
Dorinda Gregor, the town's assistant planning and building administrator, said that most of the acreage surrounding the Islamic center is zoned agriculture. She said that developers would have to go before the Plan Commission and have the land rezoned before plans proceed.
The 100 families who are members of the center represent a diverse mix whose nationalities and ethnicities include Asians, Arabs and black and other American converts.
"This idea came out of a concern for those in our community but the development would be marketed to everyone," Khan said.
Information from: The Times
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/189129-7393-127.html
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