Planning Commission approves Al Farooq Mosque redevelopment at 7486 Center Parkway

The Sacramento County Planning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 13 to approve a use permit and design review for Al Farooq Mosque at 7486 Center Parkway in the South Sacramento community. Planning staff recommended approval and that the commission recognize an environmental exemption under California Environmental Quality Act Section 15302.

The project site, near Center Parkway and East Parkway, is currently developed with an existing worship center, two classrooms and a basketball court, county staff said. The applicant proposes to remove a 3,000-square-foot building facing Center Parkway and replace it with a 6,300-square-foot worship building that would include a men’s prayer room, a women’s prayer room, a foyer, a library and offices. Staff said the proposed dome will not include bells or other noise-producing features and that the design meets Sacramento County development standards.

Staff told the commission the parcel is in the RD 5 zoning district, with a recreation club to the north and single-family residences to the southeast and west. Proposed site changes include a reconfigured parking lot with new landscape planters, a 6-foot masonry wall along the west side of the parking lot adjacent to residences, and a wrought-iron fence along the Center Parkway frontage. Staff also noted that parking along the north side of the parcel is shared with the adjacent Parkway Swimming Club.

The county’s design review advisory committee reviewed the project on Sept. 26, 2024 and recommended the planning commission find the design in substantial compliance with the countywide design guidelines, staff said. The project was heard by the South Sacramento Community Planning Advisory Council on Oct. 30, 2024; because of a lack of quorum at that meeting, no formal recommendation was provided.

At the public hearing, applicant Mae Brave thanked county staff for clear guidance and said the streamlined submittal materials and instructions made it easier to prepare the application. "I like it how it was streamlined, and you told me what to do, and Austin really did a good job in giving me a paper that I could follow," Brave said. A neighbor, Skip Hatch, representing the Parkway Swimming Club, told the commission the mosque "has been a good neighbor" and has opened its parking to accommodate swim meets and other events.

During deliberations Member Borja moved to follow staff recommendations; Member Devlin seconded. The clerk called the roll and the four members present — Member Borja, Chairperson Conklin, Member Corona Savignano and Member Devlin — voted yes. The motion carried.

The planning commission’s approval includes the findings and conditions recommended by staff, and a finding that the project is exempt from CEQA under Section 15302. The staff presentation and project materials state the project must meet conditions listed in the county’s approval package; the commission record contains the full list of findings and conditions attached to the permit.