Zoning board tables Darul Koran Academy request after questions about school use, septic capacity and permits
Loading...
Summary
The Henry County ZAB on Nov. 13 tabled CU2503 (1609 Highway 155 North) to Jan. 8, 2026, after staff and the fire marshal flagged differences between religious, school and daycare codes, environmental health reported septic capacity for 60 persons, and neighbors questioned apparent operation without a business license.
The Zoning Advisory Board voted on Nov. 13 to table a conditional-use request for a religious facility at 1609 Highway 155 North (CU2503) after extended questioning about whether the site functions primarily as a church or as a school/daycare and whether the property has adequate septic and permitting for expanded uses.
Applicants Binta Bin Wahad and Mohammed (Kasney/Cosmi) said Darul Koran Academy operates a masjid and provides educational programming (Arabic, French and STEM) and presented photographs and a certificate of occupancy. They said accreditation and a Georgia Promise grant were contingent on zoning approval. A student speaker described the school as a safe learning environment and urged approval.
Several neighbors, including Robert Kolpak, questioned whether the site was operating before final zoning and business licensing and flagged an apparent discrepancy between the certificate of occupancy (72 occupants) and an environmental-health comment that the existing septic system can accommodate up to 60 persons. Planning staff confirmed the application was filed as a religious facility; the code allows accessory academic uses under the supplemental standards but schools in RA districts can also be permitted under a separate code section. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Black and county staff told the board they had inspected the building and could sign off for a church (occupant load set at 72 for the current configuration) but cautioned that education and childcare have different building and fire-code requirements: if the site were to house a school or daycare in the same structure or to add new buildings for those uses, the property would need further plan review and code compliance, possibly including sprinklers, modified occupant loads and infrastructure upgrades.
Board members and staff discussed parking counts (estimated nine spaces required based on the interior assembly-room formula), stormwater (new impervious surface of 5,000 sq. ft. or more could trigger a detention requirement), and the sequencing of business licenses, COs, and zoning actions. One board member moved to deny CU2503 but the motion received no second. Instead, a motion to table the application to the January 8, 2026 ZAB meeting — with an amendment that the January hearing should specifically address whether the site will be used as a school and the implications for septic, fire code and business licensing — carried (vote tally not specified).
The tabling gives staff and the applicants time to reconcile certificate-of-occupancy and environmental-health documentation, clarify whether the site intends weekday school/daycare use, and complete any necessary plan-review steps if the use will include educational activities.
