Bradford’s Islamic community is excited to create a new spiritual home.
More than 150 people packed into the Don Harrison Auditorium at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre on Feb. 25 for a public planning meeting about three different proposals, including plans for the town’s first purpose-built mosque.
To show their enthusiasm, 472 people signed a petition in support of the project, and all of the residents who spoke were also in favour.
“It’s not just a place to pray — it’s like a second home for us,” Hannah Deo, 9, said.
According to a report and presentation from Mana Masoudi, senior planner for the town, SAKIQ 4 Ltd. and the Bradford Islamic Community Centre (BICC) are proposing a 929-sq.-m two-storey mosque at 3242 County Road 88.
Based on plans and a presentation from Celeste Phillips of Celeste Phillips Planning Inc., the first floor is set to include a prayer hall, office, ablution areas, washrooms, a library, a multipurpose space, and a chapel, with a women’s prayer hall and support spaces on the second floor.
While the final design of the building is still to be determined, Phillips said it will not include an outdoor public address (PA) system, and the site will not include a cemetery.
The property is proposed to include 102 parking spaces accessed from CR 88 via a 600-m two-way private road with walkways surrounded by landscaping and a community park — including play equipment, benches, gardens a tennis court and an event space.
“There’s definitely a need,” Shariq Khan, local imam for the BICC since 2018 said.
The group has been renting prayer space in town since 2014, and at first Khan said only six to eight people would regularly come out to the Friday prayers, but now, even the same auditorium used for the planning meeting isn’t large enough for all the attendees.
“I think this is the time for us to go and have our own place,” Ahsan Mohammed said, as he estimated there are about 2,835 Muslims living in Bradford — too many for available rentals.
Deo compared the situation to cramming an entire hockey team into one little car — “it just doesn’t work.”
Several residents spoke about the frustration of limited capacity requiring them to travel out of town for religious services, and stressed the importance of having a local place to come together.
While he appreciated the group’s passion, Ward 5 Coun Peter Ferragine, who represents the area and ran to protect agricultural land, said zoning changes were made to prevent building places of worship on farmland because “we’re losing too much of it too quickly,” and suggested looking for commercial land instead.
Phillips explained the property is no longer being farmed and said this proposal meets the provincial requirements for building a place of worship on agricultural land, especially as it is not in a specialty crop area and “well beyond” the minimum distance criteria to avoid impacting active farming operations.
Ferragine remained unconvinced.
“This piece would set a massive precedent right in the middle of full agricultural land that is owned by developers and holding companies that are just waiting for that door to open,” he said.
While “family and love is the backbone of any successful life and community,” Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano noted the future of that rural area is unknown as the town is still working on its growth management plan, which includes a review of expanding the urban boundaries.
However, even if the lands are added to the urban area, Phillips expected individual servicing and development plans would follow and the Bradford Islamic community’s needs “are now, not in five or 10 years.”
Noting other existing churches nearby, Deputy Mayor Raj Sandhu said council should consider each application on a case-by-case basis.
“I think this is the right place,” he said and committed to support the plan.
In order to make it all happen, SAKIQ 4 is asking for amendments to the town’s official plan and zoning bylaw to rezone the property from agricultural (A) to a mix of agriculture – special policy area and institutional (I).
Located on the north side of CR 88, west of Sideroad 10, the property is about 4.05 hectares with about 61 metres fronting CR 88 and a depth of about 670 m, according to the report.
Now vacant, the property is surrounded by other agricultural properties and rural residences. Protected under the Federal Fisheries Act for providing fish habitat, the Fraser Creek runs through the property before continuing south under CR 88 through a concrete culvert.
Council is not expected to make a decision until after staff provide a future report based on both the public feedback and the developer’s response.
Until council does make a decision, residents can still request information or provide feedback about planning files D09-24-06 (official plan amendment) or D14-24-15 (zoning bylaw amendment), by contacting the Office of Community Planning at 905-778-2055, x 1406 or [email protected].