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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes March 20, 2012 Page 4 1 building of this size, and to follow procedure. He indicated they met with City officials before 2 starting any drawings to see if there were any red flags, to make changes, and make sure this fits 3 the community and at that point, one of the issues was that the building is not sprinklered. He 4 stated they found the basement was sprinklered and they felt it would be perfect for a prayer area 5 so they went ahead with the planning. He stated they were surprised when they received a letter 6 late last Friday saying the public hearing was cancelled without any explanation other than a 7 moratorium was imposed to study the issue further. 8 9 Mr. Khaddar Abdi, 1247 St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, appeared before the Planning 10 Commission to speak on behalf of the Islamic Center. He stated they are grateful for the 11 welcome they have received and there is a need for them to find a place in which they can pray, 12 come together, and build their community just as other communities enjoy the privilege of 13 worship places without limitation. He stated they have raised the funding to buy this building 14 and were extremely joyous to find a place in which they could come together and pray, however, 15 they are frustrated now. He hoped that the Planning Commission would hear their case and felt 16 this would be a positive addition to the community. He stated they are sorry that it has been 17 rejected because they were happy to tell their friends they have found a place and they hope that 18 their dream will come true. 19 20 Chair Heinis pointed out that the request has not been rejected and the request has not gone 21 through the entire process yet. 22 23 Imam Sheikh Saad Musse, 115 West 3151 Street, Minneapolis, appeared before the Planning 24 Commission and stated they were happy to come to America with its nice government, peace, 25 and safety, with different colors, different cultures, different faiths, and they are working 26 together and making peace without harassment. He stated his message today was to make peace 27 in yourself, in your family, in your neighborhood, in your city, state, and nation. 28 29 Ms. Munazza Humayun, 2021 East Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, appeared before the 30 Planning Commission and stated the Conditional Use Permit application was supposed to be on 31 the agenda and she wanted to bring perspective to the issue. She stated the issue of mosque 32 permits being rejected is a national concern and in the past two years, 35 mosque projects have 33 been rejected. She asked that the City not be added to the list of cities that have rejected 34 Conditional Use Permits for mosques. She stated the Muslim community is looking for 35 transparency tonight about why this study is being proposed at this time and the timing is 36 suspicious. She stated they want answers about how long the study will take and why this study 37 was proposed at this time. 38 39 Chair Heinis stated that the City does not have a timeline other than the study has to be 40 completed within 120 days of the Conditional Use Permit application. He added that nothing has 41 been rejected and the City Council desires to review the wording of its Ordinances. 42 43 Mr. Peters stated the question is that there is a moratorium on the issuance of Conditional Use 44 Permits but there is no moratorium on the Planning Commission following its own rules to make 45 a recommendation on a Conditional Use Permit. He presented a copy of the Zoning Code, 46 amended June 28, 2011, and questioned why the City needs to study it again.