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Plan for Muslim community center outrages neighbors

Posted at 6:07 PM, Aug 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-16 14:37:36-04

Plans to build a Muslim community center is causing outrage among neighbors who don't want to deal with increased traffic near Russell and Jones. 

The Darul Iman Ethiopian Muslim Community applied for a special use permit to build a cultural center in a rural neighborhood preservation area of Spring Valley. 

"This is going to be more of a cultural center, more of a gathering space. They will have their prayer hours and things like that," said Jeff Kadlowec, the architect representing the Darul Iman Ethiopian Muslim Community. 

Neighbors, though, want the permit to be denied. 

"The people are real nice, but we don't want the community center and all that, nobody does," said Blaine Davis, who lives right next door to the proposed cultural center. 

Neighbors are basing their opposition on history; another church down the street has caused traffic problems for them in the past.

"All the traffic comes down this street," Davis explained. "It's going to be bad." 

The community center is expected to have its own parking lot, but neighbors like Davis fear people will still park on the side of the street. 

"They're going to develop this whole strip to Jones as commercial anyway, so we're so close to that I don't see it affecting the neighborhood at all," Kadlowec said. 

The Clark County Commission will decide whether to issue the permit. A decision could come within the week. 

The president for the Darul Iman Ethiopian Muslim Community declined to comment for this story.