The Answer Man

Islamic Center expects to receive at least the grading permit in the next 90 day

Dear Answer Man.
I was wondering what is happening with the mosque that was planned to be built in San Martin? Has it been approved? Delayed? What’s going on?

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Dear Wondering, Answer Man contacted Sal Akhter, the project manager who is also a trustee at South Valley Islamic Center.

He said the group received their official use permit from the county in early 2020, but then the pandemic shut everything down. “We finally started again in mid-2021 and hired a team of consultants to develop the formal civil, architectural and other plans that are required for the building permit. That process was also delayed because of pent-up demand during the pandemic and then hundreds of projects coming alive at once which created a scarcity of professionals and impeded their productivity. The county staff were also overwhelmed with a large number of project submissions and that backlog is still not totally clear.”

Anyway, they have the site grading and building plans in the process and expect to receive at least the grading permit in the next 90 days. That will allow them to start the ground work on site, access roads, underground utilities, building pads and hillside tiers for the cemetery. They expect to break ground sometime in late summer or early fall this year, if all goes to plan.

“Meanwhile, if you drive by the property on Monterey Road, you will notice that we have erected a fence and planted scores of trees along the perimeter which take time to mature.”

There you are, Just Wondering. Looks like the project is on track.