BAYONNE, N.J. – A New Jersey zoning board has turned down an application to open a Muslim community center. The vote in Bayonne followed five hours of discussion that the chairman said included some embarrassing audience comments.
Citing parking and traffic concerns, the board voted 5-4 Monday to reject the project.
The nonprofit Bayonne Muslims group has been trying since 2015 to open the center, which would include prayer halls, a soup kitchen and classrooms. It has been using a closed school as a house of worship.
The Jersey Journal (http://bit.ly/2lS6Bvg ) reports board chairman Mark Urban told the audience to stop making comments about religion, because it was a zoning issue. He said he was embarrassed by some of the comments made at the meeting.
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Information from: The Jersey Journal , http://www.nj.com/jjournal
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