Since so many apparently missed the news: NYC panel clears way for mosque near ground zero

[depakid]

Tue Aug 3, 2010

A city panel Tuesday cleared the way for the construction near ground zero of a mosque that has caused a political uproar over religious freedom and Sept. 11 even as opponents vowed to press their case in court.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center site that developers want to tear down and convert into an Islamic community center and mosque. The panel said the 152-year-old lower Manhattan building isn't distinctive enough to be considered a landmark.

The decision drew praise from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who stepped before cameras on Governor's Island with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop shortly after the panel voted and called the mosque project a key test of Americans' commitment to religious freedom.

"The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts," said Bloomberg, a Republican turned independent. "But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves, and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans, if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan."

...The commission's decision not to designate the existing building as a landmark means that the developers can tear it down and start from scratch. If the building had been declared a landmark, they could have created a smaller mosque and community center there.

A partner in the project, SoHo Properties, bought the property for nearly $5 million. Early plans call for a 13-story, $100 million Islamic center. Cordoba wants to transform the building into a glass tower with a swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium and culinary school besides the mosque. The center, called Park51, also would have a library, art studios and meditation rooms.

Landmarks Commissioner Stephen Byrns said the building's proximity to ground zero and the fact it was struck by airplane debris during the Sept. 11 attacks don't qualify it as a landmark. "The debris field around ground zero was widespread, and one cannot designate hundreds of buildings on that criterion alone," Byrns said.

SoHo Properties CEO Sharif El-Gamal said he was "deeply grateful to the landmarks commission and to its staff." Park51 spokesman Oz Sultan said there was no timeline for starting demolition or construction, adding the building phase was expected take 18 to 48 months.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_re_us/us_ground_zero_mosque

The project's going forward- any attempt to block it will be defeated in the courts.

Now, what's everyone having fits about again?

[Botany]

1. A culinary school

OMG Baba Ganoush :scared:

[Douglas Carpenter]

9. actually there is a real demand for Halal chefs in hotels and other culinary services

just as there is for is for Kosher chefs and other traditions. Actually Halal and kosher are almost the same, except halal does allow shell fish - which I understand kosher does not. Of course halal does not permit the use of alcohol in cooking which I would guess that kosher does.

[monmouth]

2. Good for them. If you can make it in New York, you can make it....n/t

[kestrel91316]

3. My silly cousin on Facebook was getting her panties in a twist because

the place was supposedly opening on 9/11 this year. I had to give her the news that funds hadn't even been raised nor architect/engineers hired yet.

[pansypoo53219]

4. why can't they rehab the building and put it IN the existing building?

why can't we take down crappy 70's UGLY shit? god i hate america's insistence on NEW.

[seattleblue]

5. Some of the facts you posted are wrong.

SoHo does not own the property. Con Ed does. SoHo owns the property next door at 45-47 Park Place. Any sale would have to be approved by the Public Service Commission. No one has made any application to them. Things are not so simple as you put in the OP.

[depakid]

6. Landmark preservation was the one (and really the only) legal argument for blocking the project

It's now been decided- and the facts on the record will hold up on appeal.

Any other arguments to entities such as- say, the Public Service Commission will involve a substantial burden on free exercise which can't be justified by a compelling interest) or will be deemed to be motivated by hostility to religion.

Note: that applied to the project broadly, details and requirements are obviously still elements in the process that get tinkered with.

Botom line: the good guys already won- the principle at stake isn't (or at least wasn't) threatened by the loudmouths until the controversy escalated.

And that could result in defeat yet being snatched from the jaws of victory- an all too common characteristic of Democrats on the national level.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. this from the Cordoba Initiative FAQ page:

"SoHo Properties, a New York real estate development firm based in lower Manhattan, acquired the property a couple of years ago. Sharif El Gamal, owner of SoHo Properties, is a member of Imam Feisal’s lower Manhattan congregation that has been in the neighborhood for a number of years."

http://www.cordobainitiative.org/?q=content/frequently-asked-questions

.

[seattleblue]

10. The acquired 45-47 Park Place which is next door

Con Ed has 49-51. This was brought out in the media a few days ago. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/half_baked_mosque_8ItuaW0WIByZa5xZ0rCmpJ

[saltpoint]

7. Great. I think a swimming pool at that site is a great idea.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

11. No fits here...this is my first post on this subject.

It sounds like it could be pretty amazing, and I hope the architecture stays true to the culture.