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Residents decry parking, driveway blocking near mosque; council directs enforcement and explores shuttle/parking options
Summary
Neighbors near 22 Brookfield Road accused worshippers and a continued tent structure of creating safety and access problems, including blocked driveways and bus access for a disabled student. Council members directed police enforcement, a traffic study and outreach to the mosque and school district to explore shuttle or parking partnerships.
Several residents used the public‑comment period at the June 25 Mount Vernon City Council meeting to describe persistent parking, obstruction and safety problems near 22 Brookfield Road, where a religious congregation has been using a temporary tent and adjacent lots for services.
A resident (public comment) said neighbors had not been consulted as described in earlier planning‑board notes and presented photos she said showed frequent double‑parked cars, vehicles blocking driveways, and commercial‑scale parking on lawns. Fabiana Azzoni said her disabled son’s school bus could not reach their driveway on June 6 because vehicles had occupied the usual stop; she described a call to police that she said produced inconsistent responses about enforcement when cars were parked on a private driveway. Patricia Richards raised an unrelated traffic safety concern at the Washington Street/South Fulton intersection and said Mount Vernon High School’s auditorium is leaking and in need of repair.
The complainants described a tent structure in the mosque’s lot that they said appears to be permanently installed (cinder blocks, pavers and winter side panels and heaters) even though it was permitted as a temporary structure. One resident told council the neighborhood experienced extreme congestion on the cited days; another said garbage trucks could not pass on the street when cars were parked nose‑to‑nose.
Council members responded that the city can and should enforce ordinances for blocked driveways and unlawful parking. Councilwoman Caitlin Gleason and other members encouraged ramped‑up directed patrols and ticketing or towing where appropriate. Councilman Thompson said he would ask the director of constituent services and the police department’s ordinance team to coordinate enforcement patrols and to discuss partnering with Mount Vernon High School to provide a shuttle or charter bus to move worshippers from the school parking lot to the mosque during busy services.
Council members also said they would pursue a traffic study for the Washington/South Fulton intersection to consider signage changes (for example, a "Do Not Turn on Red" sign) and possible light reconfiguration. Several council members asked residents to provide details of police calls (time/date) so the city could review recorded dispatches and, if necessary, provide corrective training to officers who fielded those calls.
Council members said they would ask the building department to inspect the tent structure to determine whether it is being used in a manner inconsistent with its permit (permanent foundations, heating panels in winter). Council members also asked staff to reconfirm any agreements or promises the mosque made previously about parking and neighbor coordination.
No formal enforcement action, ordinance change or schedule for the traffic study was adopted at the June 25 meeting; council members described follow‑up steps to be coordinated among police, building inspectors, constituent services and the contacting council office.
