Sayreville residents want 'fair shake' in Ernston Road mosque proposal

An architectural rendering of the surface parking by the proposed mosque on Ernston Road in Sayreville.

SAYREVILLE – Some borough residents have asked the Borough Council to hire an attorney to review plans to build a mosque on Ernston Road in the Parlin section of town.

“I would also like to request an additional attorney to look at the plans because it seems very complicated and I just want to make sure that us residents are getting a fair shake at the situation that may be,” a Louis Street resident said at the Borough Council meeting last week.

The 44,391-square-foot mosque with a 40-foot minaret is proposed for a 2.49-acre property in a residential zone on Ernston Road between Bordentown Avenue and Route 9 west of Samsel Upper Elementary School on the Old Bridge border.

The borough Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the project at 7:30 p.m. April 3 in Council Chambers, 167 Main St. The hearing was originally scheduled to be held at the Feb. 21 meeting, but that meeting was canceled due to public noticing requirements.

Other residents also called on the Council for help.

“I’m here to request an additional lawyer for the 216 Ernston Road application just to help with overseeing everything with an expert,” an Ernston Road resident said.

“I wanted to second his request to get an expert to just evaluate everything from an independent and fair point of view,” another resident said. “If somebody could put forth the motion tonight to get the ball rolling that would be greatly appreciated.”

“I understand the nature of this request, but this is something the Planning Board has to initiate,” said Mayor Kennedy O’Brien, who also serves on the Planning Board, along with Councilman John Zebrowski. “It’s not something the governing body does.”

But O’Brien said he would relay the residents’ concerns to the Planning Board.

Borough Attorney Matt Moench told the residents that the Council is not going to comment on an application pending in front of the Planning Board. The borough and the congregation are also in litigation over alleged code violations on the property.

“People are here,” he said. “That sends a message. There’s not always a full room of people.”

Moench also explained that only the Planning Board, as a separate entity, can hire whatever experts it requires.

“This Board does not approve any experts or hire lawyers for the Planning Board,” Moench said. “This is not the Planning Board. Nothing regarding this application is coming in front of this Board tonight or any other night.”

“It’s a separate statutory body, who hires their professionals as they deem fit,” the attorney said.

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Moench said residents, just like the applicant, can hire an attorney to represent them before the Planning Board and object to the plans.

Moench reminded residents that the Borough Council “has no control over what the planning board does.”

Prior to opening the public portion of the meeting, the mayor had the borough attorney address the group on the matter.

“It’s not to exclude anybody, but this is our town, and we need to, I always say, protect your town and that’s what this is about,” the mayor said. “It’s so that an issue can be discussed in its proper place, in its proper time, in its proper forum without fear of retaliation, without lawsuits and that we follow the law.”

This body as a whole has no control over what the Planning Board does, Moench said.

Moench also explained that any comments made by the Borough Council could be brought up in any potential future litigation over the eventual decision by Planning Board.

The Ernston Road property now houses Masjid Sadar and Community Center, which was closed due to code violations, and is the subject of ongoing litigation between the borough and Shameer Properties, owner of the lot. The existing structures on the lot would be removed.

The proposal calls for a three-story building with three prayer halls, two for men (3,332 square feet and 5,057 square feet) and one for women (1,5621 square feet).

The plan also includes a gym with a basketball court, separate exercise rooms for men and women, five classrooms, a 2,658-square-foot multipurpose room, a kitchen, an eating area, two offices and a 1,733-square-foot youth activity hall.

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Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Sayreville residents want ‘fair shake’ in Ernston Road mosque proposal