Lancaster Co. made its decision on a new Indian Land mosque. Not everyone agreed

Lancaster County Council denied a permit Monday night that would’ve allowed for a new mosque in Indian Land, but said the issue wasn’t about the Muslim faith.

It was, council members said, about traffic and whether a place of worship fit in a residential area.

“This body cannot consider opinions about religious beliefs, the identity of the applicant or generalized support or opposition unrelated to land use impacts,” said Chairman Brian Carnes.

The proposed mosque on Harrisburg Road has been a contentious issue among neighbors for several months. Dozens of speakers Monday and community emails sent to the county ahead of Monday’s meeting were split almost evenly for and against the project.

Carnes had to stop several speakers from bringing up religious differences, as some feared religious hostility or a push for Sharia law related to the new mosque. Other speakers pointed to traffic and public service problems on Harrisburg now, saying any site that brings large crowds would cause concerns.

The new mosque would have parking for 28 vehicles, and that’s for full Friday services, said property owner Arafath Mohammad. Other days it might have five to 10, he said, a far cry from the close to 9,000 cars that travel Harrisburg Road daily.

“It’s a rounding error,” Mohammad said.

Indian Land mosque proposal splits community

Waxlan Investments bought a nearly 5-acre property at 10935 Harrisburg Road in January for $750,000. The site has a 2,000-square-foot home on it that was built in 1969 and a pool, according to Lancaster County land records.

The new owner submitted plans in March showing a 3,400-square-foot building listed as both residential space and a mosque. There’s a similar, 1,200-square-foot building shown farther back of Harrisburg Road. Plans also show a new parking lot.

County planning staff recommended in favor of the permit to allow a mosque. The Lancaster County Planning Commission voted unanimously against it, after hearing from dozens of residents at a public hearing or through email. Traffic and impact on homes around the site were the main reasons given by Planning Commission members for that vote.

The Harrisburg Road property is less than two miles from the Islamic Community Center of South Charlotte in Indian Land. Other area Muslim faith sites include Holy Islamville in rural York County and Masjid Al Salaam in Rock Hill.

“What truly shapes a community is how people come together, how they support one another, raise their families and contribute to the place they call home,” said Indian Land resident Salman Mahmood. “This mosque, the Islamic community center at its core, is a space designed to strengthen those connections.”

Josh Pangle, a 42-year Indian Land resident, believes the community surrounding the proposed mosque has changed enough. He points to the nearby Islamic Community Center of South Charlotte, which has expanded several times to the point where law enforcement has to come out many Fridays to direct traffic.

“I watched it begin as a single family home in a residential area, similar to how this one is proposed,” Pangle said.

Donna McCrorie lives beside the proposed mosque, having moved there 24 years ago. It took emergency responders 15 minutes to get to her house nine years ago when her husband died, she said, due to traffic.

“God help anyone who needs an ambulance now,” McCrorie said.

All the growth in Indian Land would make the site a problem for any place of worship, she said, regardless of religion.

“Congestion is the issue here,” McCrorie said. “We do not need to add to it with any place of assembly.”

Community fit influenced mosque decision

Several supporters of the new mosque mentioned being disheartened by some of the rhetoric Monday against their faith. They aren’t trying to overthrow the community, as some speakers suggested.

“This is for a small community,” Mohammad said. “Mostly we are engineers, doctors and professionals. We live in the south Charlotte and Indian Land area.”

He worked with county planning staff in looking at several sites before buying one, Mohammad told Council on Monday. He picked that site because it allowed for the permit to create a place of assembly. The nearly 16-year resident whose children attended nearby Indian Land schools committed to working with county planning staff, the fire marshal, state road planners and any other group necessary to make sure the final mosque plan met all requirements.

“This is very standard process,” Mohammad said.

For Council members, though, the decision came down to whether roads and public service in the busy Harrisburg Road area could handle another gathering place that could grow in time.

“I just don’t see how this is compatible,” said Councilman Jose Luis.