Euless council approves specific-use permit for HEB Islamic Center with safety and parking conditions

The Euless City Council voted unanimously to approve a specific-use permit and adopt ordinance No. 2447 allowing the HEB Islamic Center to operate at 901 Clinic Drive Suite 300, after more than an hour of public testimony almost entirely in favor of reopening the center.

The council’s approval tied the permit specifically to the business name HEB Islamic Center and to the business owner, Hina Sheikh, and included conditions that building and fire permits must be issued and final inspections passed before a permanent certificate of occupancy is issued. The council also required completion and city acceptance of a planned western parking-lot expansion — from roughly 110 to about 150 spaces — before the certificate of occupancy is granted. Councilmember Bynum moved for approval; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The Planning and Zoning staff presented the request, noting that the center had about 50 member families and that Friday-prayer services produce a temporary surge in parking demand. The applicant proposed a 40-space expansion to address the shortage; P&Z voted 7–0 to recommend approval with conditions including tying the SUP to the business and owner and ensuring required permits and inspections are completed.

Dozens of speakers, many of whom said they or their children used the center’s programs, urged council to approve the permit. Lukman Rahman, who said he had lived in Euless his entire life, described the center as “a place of upbringing” that provides tutoring, youth activities and community service across the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Kainat (who said friends call her Hadiya), a neighbor who said the mosque was “a central part of our lives,” described the loss since its closure and urged the council to restore the community services the center provided ahead of Ramadan.

Applicant counsel Laura Canada Lewis asked council to note the turnout and the center’s role beyond worship, while the city manager, Barker, publicly clarified the process: approving the SUP is a land-use decision; issuing a certificate of occupancy is a separate, safety-focused step that follows building and fire inspections. Barker said staff were working with mosque leadership on a temporary occupancy that could allow services during Ramadan if safety items are addressed, but emphasized that a permanent certificate requires inspections and approvals.

The council’s conditions are intended to address neighbors’ safety and parking concerns while allowing the center to resume community and worship activities once required work and inspections are completed. The ordinance and SUP now allow the applicant to proceed with building permits, fire inspections and the parking-lot expansion as required before full occupancy is granted.

The council did not record roll-call votes by name in the public portion of the record; the motion passed unanimously.