Proposed Islamic center sues Teaneck for discrimination in denying application

(Bergen Record) A proposed Islamic community center has filed a discrimination lawsuit in federal court against Teaneck and its zoning board, claiming the township blocked its application by imposing oppressive requirements and draining the developer’s pockets.

The Al Ummah Community Center, or AUCC, bought the former Longfellow School on Oakdene Avenue for $4.3 million in 2018. The township had sold the 110-year-old brick building in 2003 to a church, which also used the site as a day care center.

But after years of fraught proceedings, the zoning board denied the AUCC’s application on Oct. 1.

In the suit, the AUCC claims the township and its board was against the proposal from the start, discriminating against its use as an Islamic center and mosque.

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