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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — North Valley residents who challenged plans for a proposed mosque lost their appeal Wednesday evening when Bernalillo County commissioners denied the appeal and upheld conditional-use approval for the Albuquerque Islamic Center on Second Street. Residents raised concerns about traffic and the area’s rural character.
During its Oct. 14 zoning meeting, the Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 to uphold the approval. Pat Hauser, president of the Maria Diers Neighborhood Association, filed the appeal. According to county documents, the proposed center would sit on 3.87 acres at 9600 Second Street NW, near Alameda Boulevard. The approval allows up to 60,000 square feet of floor space within a 43,000-square-foot footprint and includes 15 conditions, including a 26-foot height limit and a ban on schools at the site.
In presenting the appeal, Hauser argued the county lacked sufficient evidence that the property could safely accommodate the project and fit the area’s rural character. He also raised concerns about congestion at Second Street and Alameda Boulevard and submitted a 2020 traffic study for a proposed Murphy Express gas station. The study found a 503-second delay for one turning movement during the evening peak hour. It documented existing traffic conditions, not the traffic the mosque would generate. Hauser also cited informal engineer estimates projecting 410 morning trips and 1,300 afternoon trips for a facility of that size. Commissioner Walt Benson, the only commissioner to support the appeal, questioned why the county deferred the project’s traffic impact analysis until the building permit stage. He said the county should have the study before approving the project and raised concerns about existing congestion and limited county resources to address road problems.
Project engineer Joseph Tahhat said the applicant removed the school from its plans to address neighborhood concerns, leaving a prayer hall and 235 parking spaces. The county requires 154 spaces for a worship facility of that size. Tahhat said the Islamic Center’s current facility on Menaul Boulevard has 64 spaces, but about 120 cars try to park there during Friday services. Imam Talha Mohamed said the new center will stagger Friday prayer sessions to avoid peak travel hours. Zoning Administrator Maggie Gould and transportation planner Julie Luna said applicants typically must fund traffic improvements as part of the building permit process. Luna said the applicant must address traffic generated by the project, not existing congestion.
Tahhat said he hired engineering firm NV5 to conduct the traffic study. Bernalillo County, the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Department of Transportation must review and approve the study before the county can issue building permits because the roads are under different jurisdictions. The county maintains Second Street NW, while the city and NMDOT maintain Alameda Boulevard. The applicant must also secure approval for grading, drainage, stormwater management and emergency access plans and pay for any required road improvements before construction can proceed.
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