Nokesville Civic Assocation Opposes ADAMS Mosque

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Attorney Jonelle Cameron presenting on behalf of the ADAMS of Greater Gainesville. Attorney Jonelle Cameron presenting on behalf of the ADAMS of Greater Gainesville.

At a presentation before the Nokesville Civic Association March 10, residents rejected the Greater Gainesville ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) mosque coming into their Nokesville neighborhood, despite some architectural and land-use modifications.

The investors in the 22,400 square foot mosque chose 17 acres on 12655 Vint Hill Road, near the intersection of Schaeffer Lane, as their proposed location. It is a rural, mainly residential neighborhood where residents still resent the influx of traffic brought in by nearby Patriot High School.

Add the large religious center requiring a Special Use Permit (SUP) to the mix, and residents cried foul from the beginning.

Attorney Jonelle Cameron from Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh P. Cattorney, who represents ADAMS, explained that they took note of citizens’ concerns at a town hall meeting held in September at Marsteller Middle School and adjusted their land use application accordingly.

According to their plans, they changed the entrance/exit from Schaeffer Lane to Vint Hill Road only. They added 50 parking spaces for a total of 300. They also announced the roof of the mosque is now planned at 45 feet, 15 feet below the zoning ordinance. They added new berms and buffers. Furthermore, the new plan also includes 74 percent open space on the property.

Additionally, to assist with traffic flow, they moved their prime prayer time to Friday 12:30-1:30 p.m. so not to coincide with high school dismissal times.

The mosque is still asking for sewer hook up.

Still, residents gave no indication that those alterations were enough to satisfy them; At various points during the presentation, they badgered the investor, a congregation member, not to hide behind his lawyer but to address them directly.

One woman summarized their neighbors’ anger and frustration over the traffic she feared the mosque might bring:

“What about this property on a country lane, this little, tiny country lane, that makes you want to build this monstrosity to destroy the quality of life that residents---long term residents---have?" she asked, "Not just on Schaeffer Lane, but border that property? What about this property makes sense, and why do you want to do this to us?”

Dr. Syed Murtaza, a representative of ADAMS, defended the mosque’s right to build there, saying many other religious institutions moved into the Rural Crescent. He cited the fact that Victory Crossing Church, which is down the street, had been granted land use. More recently, a new Roman Catholic Church was approved within the Haymarket area of the Rural Crescent.

“If you see just in Prince William County in just the past few years time, how many churches and religious institutions have been built in the Rural Crescent?" he asked

However, residents explained Victory Crossing Church was approved by the previous Brentsville District Supervisor. Current Supervisor Jeanine Lawson even voted against the Catholic Church in Haymarket. While it had some residential opposition, it was supported by every other member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors

Neighbors suggested the mosque would be better suited elsewhere since Nokesville is not where the majority of their residents reside. Murtaza answered it was the “Greater Gainesville” area, which includes Nokesville.

Residents asked about other aspects of the property, questioning if the applicant planned to expand the mosque into a full-fledged community center and school. Murtaza said there is no plan for a school or daycare, except for a religious Sunday school.

“There will not be a school. Unequivocally, the SUP conditions will be only for a religious institution,” he said.

One resident explained that the problem is they are asking for land use that does not fit their neighborhood. It is something that should not be allowed.

“A piece of property that was intended for one home. If one of us tried to put buildings on our lot, they would tell us, ‘no, it’s rural crescent.’ If we tell them we want sewer they tell us, ‘no, it’s rural crescent,'” she said.

Another resident said the issue was the size of the religious institution.

“All of a sudden, we don’t have a small neighborhood, we have a big mosque. It’s not that I don’t expect progress, because it’s going to happen. If you want to make your mosque really smaller, then that will fit, but this is just too big.”

Nokesville Civic Society voted unanimously to oppose the mosque's SUP for reasons of traffic and for sewer and water hookup.

Residents did not venture into anti-Islamic sentiment. One woman, who spoke out of turn, said a community meeting place could “incite” people, but would not explain her statement.

One resident asked  Cameron if the ADAMS community felt betrayed by Chairman At-large Corey Stewart, who is serving as Donald Trump’s campaign manager in Virginia.

She said she could not answer that question.

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