Bartlett aldermen reject special-use permit for proposed mosque at Broadway five‑way site

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to deny Resolution O1‑25, an application for a special‑use permit to allow a church use (submitted by the Bartlett Muslim Society) on an 8.244‑acre parcel on the east side of Broadway Road near the Ellendale five‑way intersection.

The request would have allowed an initial 5,000‑square‑foot facility with conceptual expansion to 15,000 square feet and a 52‑space parking plan. Supporters told the board the mosque would serve hundreds of local Muslim families now driving 20–30 minutes to worship sites elsewhere in the Memphis area. “We are trying to establish our own prayer place in this area in the city of Bartlett,” said Mohammed Ullah, a congregation member who identified his address for the record. Several other residents and business owners—Mohammed Ullah, Shuja Ahmed, Casey Lanham, David Burns and Rahman Qureshi—spoke in favor, saying a local facility would allow worshipers to fulfill congregational prayers and reduce long commutes.

Opponents said the parcel is not suitable for nonresidential development because of chronic congestion, crash history, flooding and proximity to a CSX railroad. Neighbors who live on Broadway Road and nearby streets described frequent backups at the five‑way intersection, limited sight lines, off‑site cut‑through traffic and low‑lying lots that pond during rain. “The five‑way is a mess,” said resident Dale Mathis, who lives on Broadway Road. Other neighbors raised the same practical objections: Brian Costner questioned parking capacity versus building capacity; Alan Campbell and Carrie Bristow described drainage and safety problems; and multiple speakers urged the board to preserve the parcel for residential use.

City planning staff and the applicant presented conditions required by the Bartlett Zoning Ordinance to address those issues if the permit were approved. Sam Harris, planning and economic development, outlined required engineering work that would be conditions of approval, including a commercial site plan, a waterline extension bored under the railroad to meet fire‑flow requirements, underground utilities, stormwater detention, removal and redirection of a local lift station, driveway shifting for sight distance, road widening along the Broadway frontage and dedication of additional railroad right‑of‑way. Harris said the planning commission had forwarded a non‑favorable recommendation and that the application first began in October 2023.

The applicant’s traffic consultant, Dr. Martin Lipinski, testified that his traffic study was scoped with city staff and included data collection and modeling for 2025 and for a 2028 horizon with a 2% background growth rate. Lipinski said mosque trip generation patterns differ from other land uses and that Friday midday congregational prayer produces a peak that generally falls outside weekday commuter peaks. Based on his assumptions and the modeled 52‑vehicle peak, he concluded the development would not cause additional harmful effects at the five‑way intersection and that no further mitigation beyond the listed conditions was warranted. Lipinski also said his study found the cut‑through traffic spikes occur primarily when trains block the intersection.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee submitted a written letter and its legal director, Stella Yarbrough, spoke at the meeting. Yarbrough reminded the board of state and federal protections for religious exercise and urged the city to consider narrowly tailored measures to address traffic concerns rather than an outright denial.

After board discussion the motion to approve Resolution O1‑25 failed. The record shows the permit was denied; the clerk announced the resolution “fails” and reported the vote outcome in open session. The minutes record the final outcome as the Board rejecting the special‑use permit application.

The applicant and neighbors were told the city’s engineering and planning conditions would be part of any future site‑plan review if the applicant re‑files or seeks a different parcel. The applicant team said they would consider scaling the project and noted willingness to limit the first phase to 5,000 square feet if that would reduce impacts and neighborhood concern.

The vote concluded the public hearing on Resolution O1‑25; the file remains a matter of public record at City Hall.