Parking is Top Concern Regarding Proposed Mosque

The parking situation continues to be the main thing in question concerning a proposal to use a previously approved but not yet constructed office building as a Muslim multicultural center and mosque on Paramus Road.

Three-plus hours of testimony was heard Thursday night in front of the Zoning Board from the Muslim Cultural Center’s engineer, architect and traffic engineer in regards to the building’s design and use, as well as the parking layout, which has been revised since a previous hearing in August to add more spaces.

The applicant’s engineer Matthew Fox explained the first floor of the proposed three-story building has been revised, taking away 850 square feet by eliminating a worship area, in order to add 5 more spaces underneath the building.

The additional spaces now brings the total amount proposed for the center to 61, as opposed to the 69 spaces which would be required by borough code.

Architect Joel Ives went through the layout of the entire building, floor to floor, explaining that the first floor area would consist of a lobby area, restrooms, elevator and staircases to the second and third floors where worship will take place. The second floor for women, the third floor for men. It was explained that there would be no funerals or weddings held at this center.

The number of prayer mats that would be placed in the worship areas, a total of 146, caused some to question the amount of congregants who will use the facility and therefore the amount of proposed parking spaces. Zoning Board Chairman Steve Sullivan suggested the congregation could grow and it’s likely that new families who wish to worship there would not be turned away by the center. 

The Muslim Cultural Center congregation consists of about 25 to 30 families who currently worship at an American Legion in Woodland Park and conducts Ramadan services at the VFW in Paramus, according to traffic engineer Judd Rocciola.

Rocciola said he has studied the parking impact at both locations on regular worship days and during Ramadan claiming that his findings show that 61 spaces would be sufficient enough. He reported that regular worship drew about 19 cars to the American Legion lot in Woodland Park and 52 cars to the VFW lot during Ramadan.

Rocciola also said that if Ramadan were to attract a larger amount of congregants and guests to the proposed center there is enough street parking between parts of Arcadian Way, Bridle and McKay avenues, which border the Paramus Road property, to carry that kind of overflow.

In regards to traffic coming in and out of the property, Rocciola stated that there would not be a large enough volume from this center to cause an impact on the local roadways.

This Paramus Road location was okayed for the construction of an office building back in 2008 but the building has yet to be constructed. According to the architect the footprint for the building has remained the same with the exception of the alterations made to the first floor to add the additional parking spaces and to add separate entrances for men and women.

The hearing on this proposal will continue in January. It is currently set to follow the board’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 10.

Based on whether there will be sufficient enough time that night to hear further testimony it will be determined then if the hearing will need to be postponed to a February date.

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