HENRICO, Va. (WTVR)--Tonight, the Henrico County Board of Supervisors rejected an appeal by residents along Hungary road who wanted Islamic leaders to scale back on their plans to build a 31,000 square-foot mosque.
"This land use is more like a 24/7 use Walmart,” said one neighborhood resident.
“30,000 square-feet. Come on. I've lived here long enough and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said another.
Residents say the large mosque will also attract a larger number of people to the area, which has them concerned about their safety on the road.
Some people living on Hungary Road also complained about noise, parking and potential problems with drainage.
The new mosque will not only serve as a place of worship, but there will also be space for classes and a daycare facility.
County leaders say the mosque meets all county standards and there's no reason to delay this project, which was good news for Islamic leaders.
"There are a lot of requirements the county has that we need to follow...so, that is the process we were talking about, “ Salman Lateef said. “If you follow all the requirements, everything will be addressed and taken care of. “
Plans are underway to build as many as three mosques in Henrico.
