TROY, Mich. – After losing at the federal court level, the City of Troy needs to decide whether to appeal the decision or take no further legal action.
The city was sued by a Muslim group and the Department of Justice over the city’s refusal to grant zoning approval for the proposed Mosque in a commercial site at 3565 Rochester Road.
A federal judge found Troy used its zoning ordinance to bar Muslims from using the site and that the city was in the wrong. Monday (April 11) night, the council met in closed session with its attorneys to discuss the ruling.
“Our form of government doesn’t allow us to have conversations behind the scenes, so we really haven’t had the opportunity to come together as a group to discuss the issues,” said Mayor Ethan Baker.
A settlement conference between all parties is scheduled for next week.
Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council in American Islamic Relations (CAIR), attended Monday’s meeting asking the council to grant occupancy permits.
“This is the holy month of Ramadan, and we would hope that the City of Troy would agree to settle this case that the federal courts have already ruled against them,” said Walid.
