Murphy planning commission remands site plan for Center of Islamic Knowledge after safety, notice and use questions

The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission remanded a site-plan application for the Center of Islamic Knowledge at 1030 and 1026 North Murphy Road to staff on a voice vote after extended questioning from commissioners and residents about the proposed use, safety and public notice.

City staff presented the application as a site plan to add a fire lane, install 21 parking stalls and provide landscaping on a parcel of a little more than 2.5 acres that currently holds two residential-style structures. "The applicant is requesting approval of a site plan... the sole purpose is to add a fire lane, 21 parking stalls, and... provide a landscape buffer," staff said during the presentation.

Applicant representatives told the commission the property would be used as a limited-enrollment, faith-based learning center rather than a mosque or a K–12 school. "This is not a mosque. This is not an Islamic center, and this is not a school," said Rehan Batee, who said he represents the applicant. He added the center will offer sessions such as "interfaith harmony" and counseling and that organizers "are not expecting more than, like, 50, 60 people at any given instant." He said the group would pursue any permits required for future renovations.

Neighborhood residents and a building professional pressed the commission on safety and notice. "I actually found out about today on a Facebook, a Moms of Murphy Facebook post," said resident Kristen Bewley, who lives on Rodeo Drive and asked for more public notice and time for neighbors to weigh in on traffic and the change in character that new parking could bring. Jenny Harden, a registered interior designer, told commissioners she was "very nervous" about occupancy calculations and said an A3 religious occupancy classification could limit the house to roughly 43 people at a time.

Commissioners expressed uncertainty about whether the site-plan packet gave enough information to evaluate the long-term use of a highly visible North Murphy Road parcel and asked for written input from the fire marshal and the building official. Staff said the building official and fire review provided no outstanding written comments about ingress and egress for the current configuration, but commissioners asked for clearer documentation.

After hearing public comment and questioning applicant representatives and the owner, Mohammed Khan, the commission voted to remand the application to staff for "consideration and clarification on the allowed use and details of future improvements" and asked staff to return the item to the Planning & Zoning agenda on February 5, if possible. The motion to remand was made by a commissioner and seconded; the chair called for a voice vote and recorded the outcome as 'Aye.'

The commission did not deny the application; instead it asked staff and the applicant to supply additional documentation (including a clearer description of the intended use, occupancy/load calculations and any written fire‑marshal or building‑official comments) before the item returns for further review.

The meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.