A proposed Islamic boys school in Bay Shore, New York, may open on its 13-acre waterfront campus, but the town of Islip has ruled that its plan to house 120 students overnight is not permitted under local zoning rules.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
An all-boys Muslim school planned for Long Island will be allowed to open, but students will not be permitted to live on campus after the town of Islip’s zoning board reversed an earlier interpretation that would have allowed a dormitory for 120 boys.
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted Tuesday to reject the proposed boarding arrangement at the United American Muslim Association’s school in Bay Shore following substantial opposition from residents, according to The New York Post.
The proposed school sits on a 13-acre waterfront property near a senior living community.
Under the board’s decision, the Islamic-education-based institution can operate as a day school, but its students must leave campus when the school day ends.
“The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3-1 to reverse the Building Division’s interpretation and determined that the proposed boarding component… is not a permitted accessory use to the parochial school under the Town’s zoning code,” the board said.
The decision follows a July meeting in which residents questioned the proposal and zoning officials for five consecutive hours.
The dispute centered on the residential component rather than whether the religious school itself could legally operate at the location.
“The question before the Board is not whether a parochial school is a permitted principal use within the District — [Town code] expressly permits such use,” the board wrote in its decision, released Thursday.
The ruling therefore leaves the school project intact while removing one of its most contentious elements.
The United American Muslim Association may proceed with the boys school on the Bay Shore property, but the 120 students originally expected to stay in an on-campus dormitory will instead have to return home each day.
Original article
Comments