Officials Denied Zoning Laws When Denying Islamic Center Variance

February 25, 2004

Source: The Philadelphia Enquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/8034281.htm

On February 25, 2004 The Philadelphia Enquirer reported, "Officials in Clementon violated New Jersey zoning laws when they rejected a bid by a group of immigrants to turn a derelict apartment house into a mosque in the tiny South Jersey borough, a judge has ruled. The Delaware Valley Islamic Center needed a use variance to turn the boarded-up triplex into a house of worship. A use variance allows exceptions to zoning laws - in this case, establishing a religious center in an area designated for commercial use. Yesterday, Superior Court Judge Francis J. Orlando Jr. of Camden County gave the two dozen Bangladeshi immigrants who formed the group their variance, saying that local officials bothered by traffic and lost taxes either considered issues that are not relevant under zoning laws or did not adequately analyze the issues. The Islamic Center sued the borough's Zoning Board, saying that it did not follow state guidelines for zoning boards regarding use variances and that it violated protections for religious groups under the U.S. Constitution and a federal law that the Bush administration has embraced."