HILLIARD, Ohio — Nearly two weeks after the Hilliard City Council turned down an Islamic group’s plans to turn a vacant office building into a multi-purpose center, some residents aren’t taking no for an answer.
Noor Islamic Center held a press conference in front of Hilliard City Hall Monday night to voice their concerns over the council’s decision.
"This we felt was a very reasonable way to show the discontent in our community for what happened on Nov. 12 and the city's stance,” Dr. Ronney Abaza, the center’s chairman, said.
On Nov. 12, Hilliard City Council voted not to approve a zoning change of a vacant building which had been purchased by the Noor Islamic Center. The building is the former BMW office space on Britton Parkway. The vote prevented the Islamic Center from moving forward with its plans for the space.
"Honestly right now our community's really upset,” Abaza said.
Noor Islamic Center hopes to turn the building into a multi-purpose facility that would include a school, a daycare, healthcare space, as well as a restaurant and café. Abaza said only 9% of the space would be used for religious worship.
"A big part of our disappointment is that we reached out to all the city council members to meet with them and try to explain what the proposal they were going to vote on was ahead of time, and several of them did meet with us and we really appreciated that and we felt like they made a more informed decision. Other city council members didn't want to meet with us,” Abaza said.
The city of Hilliard released a statement in response:
“The City of Hillard embraces diversity in our community and welcomes all forms of faith, and we understand the strong emotions and concerns around this proposed project. It is the obligation of our City Council to consider existing zoning, City regulations, and the Community Plan when making decisions. We assure Hilliard residents, including those in our Muslim community, that this process was followed in accordance with our City zoning and land use policies.
"The current permitted use of the 5550 Britton Parkway property — office — is the same today as it was when Noor’s holding entity bought it. No rights have been taken from Noor.
"Unfortunately, there has been significant misinformation spread concerning this proposal and the City’s efforts to work with the applicant. Hilliard leaders negotiated diligently with Noor for the past 10 months and have worked hard to accommodate their evolving plans, including allowing up to 56,000 square feet for school and event space that could be used for religious and nonreligious activities. These efforts to accommodate were rejected by the applicant.
"Noor has the opportunity to submit a new development plan for the site that aligns with the Community Plan. We remain committed to reaching a resolution so the building’s potential can be maximized for the benefit of our entire community.”
Councilmember Les Carrier said the vote came down to tax dollars.
"This comp plan that we have in place is one that says every parcel should maximize revenue for the city, put it another way, maximize taxes, and that's not the right lense with which we should be making decisions,” Carrier said.
Properties owned by nonprofit organizations, like Noor, are exempt from paying property taxes in Ohio.
Now, Noor is hoping city leaders will be willing to work things out so further action isn't necessary.
"The city manager, the city councilmembers, they are adult enough to know what the next step should be. If they really want to sit down and work through this, the door is always open,” Fadi Suleiman, director of the center, said.
But councilmembers like Carrier said they're ready to move on.
"My goal now is to try to find a tenant to help that building be successful and that's what I'm gonna try to do,” Carrier said.