Keene’s Pointe Resident Hopes to Build Mosque

Many Express Concern Over Land Use

by Debra Wood

A proposed mosque on a property backing onto Lake Mable has residents concerned about traffic, drainage, noise and that the land use is not compatible with the residential rural flavor of the area. But the applicant maintains the mosque will be a good neighbor.

“We live here and will not do anything to jeopardize the area,” said applicant Muhammad Awan, a Keenes Pointe resident. “We are your neighbors.”

081816growinggainsMore than 100 residents attend a meeting to discuss the potential use of residential land to build a mosque.

More than 100 people attended the community meeting to learn more about the Windermere Religious Center, the proposed mosque, and most spoke against the special exception to the R-CE (Country Estates) zoning being sought by Awan for the vacant 6-acre property at 8806 Winter Garden Vineland Road, which he plans to donate to a yet-to-be-organized mosque.

“The applicants live in the area and want a place to worship,” said Chris Stephens, a co-founder and partner at Stephens Barrio, which is helping with the permitting and engineering on the project.

The proposed mosque would be 6,900 square feet and be positioned on the 1.6 acres near the road, about 900 feet from the lake. The two-story building, designed to appear residential, will be about 33 feet tall and not have any fixed seating.

The applicant expects between 20 and 30 congregants would be at the facility for the five daily prayers, which begin at 6 a.m. and end at 9:30 p.m. The building also would be used for meetings and lectures and have an outdoor playground for children but no child care facility. Maximum occupancy will be 120 with 44 parking spaces. Natural buffering exists around the proposed mosque, which does not plan to use loud speakers for the call to prayer. The county can make that a condition of approval for the special exception.

“The applicant is making every effort to blend into the community,” Stephens said.

There are two churches in the area: First Baptist Church Windermere and an Armenian Church, which Stephens said shows consistency with the religious use.

The mosque does not plan to build in or disturb the wetlands area or an uplands area near the lake, explained Stephens, who added that the “proposed project will have zero impact on Lake Mabel.”

Stormwater from the parking lot would drain into a retention pond, and the water would be treated before flowing into the lake. A lift station would be built to pump sewage to the sewer line, which runs along the northern border of the property.

Neighbors also expressed concern about traffic and parking. Stephens said traffic studies suggest 20 trips for morning prayer and 30 trips for evening prayer, with no impact on peak hour traffic, based on the number of members of the Islamic Center of Orlando who live in the vicinity to the proposed mosque.

“The people using it are already on the road,” Stephens said.

Those driving to this proposed mosque are already driving to the Islamic Center of Orlando, which is about 6 miles from the proposed mosque, he explained. Islamic Center is planning to build a major expansion with a community center and sports complex.

That expansion has residents near the Awan property concerned. Awan Investment One purchased the two lakefront sites, lots four and five in Royal Ranch Estates, in 2014 for $354,938. That price included the adjacent 8814 Winter Garden Vineland Road property, on which Awan said he might build a house. He also owns several other properties in the area.

One attendee indicated that three additional adjacent lots are available and asked if Awan planned to purchase them as well to create a large site that could handle future expansions of the mosque. Awan denied plans to purchase those lots, and when asked about the other properties he owns, said, “You should not get into my business.”

Commissioner Scott Boyd said the Windermere Religious Center could come back at a later date and ask for a special exception to expand.

Other residents questioned why the mosque could not locate to a more commercial location in the area, citing master plans for the vicinity. The citizens also talked about concerns about the mosque negatively affecting their property values and called it a “hard pill to swallow.” Another said it was disrupting to people who have lived in the area for 30 or more years.

A couple of people, including a woman from Dubai, spoke about the need to accept all people and make it easy for everyone to worship.

This is the second time in two years individuals have asked for special exceptions to zoning to build a mosque in the Windermere area. In 2014, Iqbal H. Gagan and Salma Rafat, a husband and wife who lived in Orange Center, purchased a 1.78-acre vacant property on Palm Lake Drive, near Apopka-Vineland Road. That building was to be nearly twice as large at 13,000 square feet.

The Board of County Commissioners denied the request for a special exception in that case. Iqbal H. Gagan and Salma Rafat continue to own that property. The men associated with the Windermere Religious Center denied any affiliation with the mosque proposed for Palm Lake Drive.

If the Board of Zoning Appeals favors the special exception, the county could add conditions to the approval, such as the type of outdoor lighting, landscaping, use of loud speakers, and hours of operation. The Board of County Commissioners will consider the special exception Aug. 23, 2016.  💓