On a unanimous vote, the Blaine Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a nonprofit group’s request to rezone a parcel of property it recently bought so it can operate a private kindergarten through eighth grade school on the site.
Blaine Islamic school, mosque gets planning commission’s OK
The East Blaine Community Center, a nonprofit, plans to transform the former Minnesota School of Business building near I-35W into a private school and religious center; the rezoning request will now go to the Blaine City Council.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 15, 2024 at 7:09PM
The recommendation now goes to the City Council, which will decide the fate of the proposed East Blaine Mosque and Academy that would occupy the defunct Minnesota School of Business building adjacent to I-35W near Lexington Avenue. The issue is expected to be on the agenda June 3.
Chris Heinze, an attorney representing the nonprofit East Blaine Community Center, said the 46,000-square-foot building, empty for the past seven years, is a perfect place for mosque and school since it has few neighbors and is located away from residential areas.
“Using this building for a meeting and gathering space for members of the community is specifically what the comprehensive plan demands,” he told commission members.
Current zoning allowed for a mosque, but not an elementary school on the site at 3680 Pheasant Ridge Drive. Moving the land into a “development flex” designation allows for the school.
Heinze has said Blaine has several Christian schools but no Islamic schools, even as the Twin Cities’ Muslim population has grown, especially in the northern suburbs.
The returns were filed on behalf of themselves and others, according to federal prosecutors.
