Mosque moving in to Norwalk neighborhood?

NORWALK, Conn. (WTNH) -- A meeting was held Wednesday night to discuss a mosque that may be headed to one Norwalk neighborhood. Folks who live nearby oppose it, but say it has nothing to do with religion.

The building is planned for a piece of land on Fillow Street.

Around 200 people were in attendance at Wednesday night's meeting.

Muslims in Norwalk have been looking for almost 40 years for a place to call their own. Now all they want to do is build the property on the land that they own.

"It had been on sale for three years before we even heard about it, it was at a price we could afford, and we paid for it in cash because our religion prohibits us from taking mortgages or paying interest," said Farhan Memon, Islamic Centers Board of Directors, "and so it was the perfect place at the perfect price, at which nobody else wanted."

However, locals want to keep the neighborhood residential. They feel there is an added danger, and also a financial twist.

"It's going to devalue my property," said Bob Caserta, "that's what really bothers me the most. And coupled with the traffic, this is already a dangerous intersection."

While the Islamic Center understands that people may need time to adapt to the change, they also say at this point, their plans have met all of the city of Norwalk's criteria.

The Zoning Commission has two more meetings scheduled, one in each of the next two weeks. After that they will have 65 days to make a final decision.