With fundraising efforts apparently growing in success, the
South Valley Islamic Community renewed its efforts this week to
build a mosque and community center in San Martin. The community,
whose membership includes about 75 Muslim families in southern
Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties, submitted building
permit applications for the project in 2007. However, due to the
souring economy, the group was unable to begin construction and
allowed the permits to expire.
With fundraising efforts apparently growing in success, the South Valley Islamic Community renewed its efforts this week to build a mosque and community center in San Martin.
The community, whose membership includes about 75 Muslim families in southern Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties, submitted building permit applications for the project in 2007. However, due to the souring economy, the group was unable to begin construction and allowed the permits to expire.
But fundraising has picked up in recent months, and the group is prepared again to open a permanent house of worship, according to Karen Musa of the SVIC. Plans for the Cordoba Center, which will be developed near the intersection of Monterey Road and California Avenue, include two structures each about 2,500 square feet in size – one for a mosque and one to serve as a multi-purpose community room.
“Our plan was, and still is to make a permanent place to pray,” Musa said. “At the moment we’re in temporary quarters, and it’s been temporary for the last 15 years.”
They plan to build structures that will accommodate up to 200 people.
Musa said Friday that she and other representatives of SVIC planned to submit applications to Santa Clara County planning staff this week.
The 15-acre property, after construction of the mosque and community center, will still consist of mostly open space, and the SVIC wants to include a Muslim cemetery which will likely occupy “a couple acres” at the site.
“The rest would be open for play areas (for children). It’s beautiful land, and we don’t want to damage it. We’re thinking of walkways, benches, and areas where you can enjoy the outdoors,” Musa said. Plans also include a small parking lot.
The SVIC purchased the property a couple of years ago.
The project will serve Muslims throughout the southern part of the valley, from south San Jose to Hollister, Musa said.
SVIC held a community open house to discuss the Cordoba Center at the San Martin Lions Club Sunday. They plan to hold another one in the spring or summer of next year, Musa said.
“We want to open our heart to those around the community,” she said.
Now, area Muslims gather at a member’s barn in Gilroy for group prayers, Musa said.
The addition of a Muslim cemetery at the San Martin site will be convenient to the SVIC, as the closest Muslim cemetery now is in Fremont, Musa said. The closest mosque is Masjid Al Rasool in Campbell.
The SVIC has grown by “a few families” since it last submitted permit applications to the county, and some families have moved away since then, Musa said.
Fundraising efforts have improved since then as well.
“Funding is always a big problem,” Musa said. “It’s taken us quite a few years to put it together. Now that we’ve figured out what we want with the land, we’ve done some fundraising and we’re ready to go ahead.”
The group hopes to at least have the property partially developed to accommodate prayer services within a year, Musa said.
As of Monday morning, Santa Clara County principal planner Bill Shoe had not yet heard if the SVIC had returned to the planning office to submit new applications, and thus declined to comment on the project. He remembers the SVIC’s efforts to develop the property in 2007.
“The key question for them will be whether or not a proposal they make would conform with the general plan and the zoning ordinance,” Shoe said.
The SVIC consists of Muslim families who have lived in South County for up to three generations or longer, as well as those who have just moved here recently, Musa said. Her husband, Bakri Musa, is a founding member of SVIC. The couple live in Morgan Hill, and both work at Bakri’s medical offices in Gilroy.
The SVIC plans to build a “western structure” for its mosque, and the designs do not include exotic-looking minarets, and they do not plan to issue calls for prayer, Musa said.
“We just need something that would fit our needs and blend into the community,” she said. “It wouldn’t be anything ornate.”
