CLERMONT, Fla. — A petition circulating in Lake County wants to stop a proposed expansion of the Islamic Center of Clermont.
On August 5th, the Lake County Planning and Zoning Board advanced a request to rezone land adjacent to the center, a first step in a possible expansion.
According to documents on file with the county, the Islamic Center wants to build two new Islamic worship halls, repurpose existing structures at their site off Hancock Road, and add a new cul-de-sac.
The project is in its early stages, but even before renderings have been submitted to the county, neighbors want to see the project stopped.
The Association of Religion Data Archives says as of 2020, there were more than 3,400 people practicing Islam in Lake County.
According to The Islamic Center of Clermont, “The religious use has outgrown its current location and needs room to expand.”
However, some neighbors don’t think nearby roads can handle the expansion, specifically Hancock Road and Johns Lake Road.
An open petition circulating online primarily cites infrastructure challenges.
Neighbors who spoke with Channel 9 were adamant that the opposition is not to the kind of worship that is happening, but rather the impact of a new facility on traffic, noise, and their property values.
“I don’t care about people worshiping because I am a worshiper. So that’s not my concern. It’s the building itself and the impact that it’s gonna have on us,” said Jacqueline Harp, who lives immediately adjacent to the Islamic Center property.
Harp has lived in Clermont for over three decades, but said infrastructure has not kept up with development.
She said she’s already dealing with traffic congestion during peak hours and worries that a potential expansion would have additional consequences.
“It’s the concern of the traffic. Our property value is gonna be another issue, the impact of the noise, and the lighting that it is going to take to operate this center,” said Harp.
Down the road, Andy Kaisrlik said he also has traffic concerns, specifically about Hancock Road, which is just one lane in each direction.
“It’s just so so much traffic,” said Kaisrlik, “My wife comes home at five, six o’clock, and it takes her 20, 30 minutes to get here from downtown Clermont, and it’s only 2.5 to 3 miles away.”
Kaisrlik said he moved to Clermont in 1989 when the roads adjacent to his home were all dirt. Those days are long gone.
“When I first moved here, I had to call a long distance to another area code to order pizza. So it’s a lot of changes,” said Kaisrlik, who does not think there should be an expansion until Hancock Road is widened.
According to documents filed with the Planning and Zoning Board,
A Lake County transportation assessment found the Islamic Center Expansion would generate three peak-hour trips in the afternoon but maintain an acceptable traffic level.
The documents state that an official development application would require a noise assessment and a minimum 50-foot landscape buffer to mitigate neighborhood concerns.
Channel 9 reached out to the Islamic Center of Clermont, but did not hear back before news time.
The Islamic Center of Clermont is requesting a zoning change from “Agriculture District” to “Community Facility District on 3.69 acres to make the expansion possible.
The zoning request will go before the county commissioners on September 1st.
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