DuPage County is currently debating a proposed blanket-ban on new religious facilities and places of worship in unincorporated areas of DuPage County.
Zoning issues related to religious facilities have been a hot-topic in DuPage lately. There are currently three controversial zoning issues related to proposed Muslim worship locations in the county. The contoversial locations are in Naperville, Willlowbrook, and West Chicago (previously discussed here). Muslim officials are claming blatent discrimination in each of these cases.
Each of the proposed locations are located in, or very near, residential areas. DuPage County claims that the current infrastructure is not setup to handle places of assembly such as these proposed facilities.
I woudn’t want a place of worship of any religious affiliation in or near my neighborhood. Who would want to have the added traffic or parking issues often associated with religious facilities? I feel that many people have this very same mindset…
To make this an issue of discrimination is just plain stupid. Are there not plenty of other readily available locations in more commercial areas?
Some years ago, a mosque was erected off Route 53, just north of Butterfield Road. It was jammed in between a cluster of nice homes on the west-side of Route 53. I would be livid if I built my dream home and after-the-fact, had a mosque, church, temple or commmercial building stuffed in my backyard.
I agree with this zoning proposal to ban the building of additional religious facilities in or very near residential homes. It makes sense.