Politics & Government

Islamic Center of Temecula Valley Granted Permit for Murrieta Meeting Place

The building is located in an area zoned for industrial use; therefore, ICTV needed a permit to continue operating as a place of worship, according to city staff.

A Muslim congregation that consists of about 90 southwest Riverside County families was granted a permit to continue meeting at a Murrieta warehouse until construction on a permanent mosque in Temecula is completed.

The Murrieta Planning Commission on Wednesday voted 4-0—Commissioner Jeff Kirshberg was absent—in favor of a conditional use permit for Islamic Center of Temecula Valley’s temporary gathering place inside an industrially-zoned building at 26820 Hobie Circle.

The congregation relocated from Temecula to the 8,000-square-foot suite in Murrieta in November 2011.

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The building is located in an area that in the city’s General Plan is zoned for light industrial use; therefore, ICTV needed a permit to continue operating as a place of worship, according to city staff.

As part of the permitting process, parking was also evaluated. There are 50 parking places allotted to the suite occupied by ICTV. That is ample for the number of people who attend daily prayer meetings and various religious education classes, but during weekly Friday afternoon prayer services and monthly Saturday potlucks, the number of attendees may exceed spots available, city staff determined.

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Permission for overflow parking was requested and granted by a neighboring property owner, staff wrote in report prepared for commissioners.

Associate City Planner Paul Swancott said he also personally spoke with other neighboring businesses and received only positive feedback about the congregation’s use of the space.

“They had no issues,” Swancott said.

A neighboring property manager spoke briefly during a public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting to ask whether the conditional use permit involved permission for any exterior changes to the building.

Swancott said no, and that there was no signage displayed, either.

According to City Planner Cynthia Kinser, city staff had been working for some time with ICTV to also ensure the interior of the facility met city codes for use as a place of worship.

To comply with the city's Building and Safety Department's regulations, the congregation leadership will now need to apply for a certificate of occupancy prior to Jan. 7, 2014.

An ICTV representative spoke briefly Wednesday, thanking city staff for their patience throughout the process.

It is a matter of months before the congregation expects to relocate to its permanent home on Nicolas Road in Temecula.

Swancott said it was city staff's understanding that that would be some time in 2014.


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