St. Cloud City Council Holding Public Hearing On Mosque Plan Tonight

ST. CLOUD - The plan to build a mosque in south St. Cloud goes to the  city council this (Monday) evening.

The Islamic Center of St. Cloud wants the city council to approve an amendment to a planned-unit development to allow a mosque, a religious education center, and a community center at 1850 Clearwater Road.  The plan also calls for four two-unit residential dwellings.  The property is zoned right now for duplexes and single family homes.

A public hearing will allow residents in the neighborhood to weigh-in on the project.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the issue back in August, which resulted in a number of objections from residents, citing concerns about increased traffic, noise, and parking.

Greg Jarrett lives in the neighborhood, which has formed the coalition calling itself "St. Cloud Citizens For Reasonable Zoning".  He says the Islamic Center of St. Cloud's plan to build a mosque, school, and community center is too big for the space.

Last month the Planning Commission recommended the approval of the mosque and school, but not the community center.  The mosque would initially have enough prayer space for 450 people.

The original application by the Islamic Center also included office space, a restaurant, and space for a store, but the Islamic Center voluntarily removed those items.

The Islamic Center of St. Cloud currently has a mosque on 5th Avenue in downtown St. Cloud, they say that facility would remain open.