Muslim-focused community on hold as Lino Lakes approves building moratorium

There will be no new homes, retail outlets, parks or a mosque built in the northwest quadrant of Lino Lakes — at least for a year.

The Lino Lakes City Council on Monday in a 4-1 vote approved a one-year moratorium on residential development in a 980-acre plot along Main Street roughly between Sunset and 4th avenues, buying the north metro suburb time to complete a master plan for the area.

Monday’s vote became the latest roadblock for Zikar Holdings, which seeks to build a Muslim-oriented community to be called Madinah Lakes on the Robinson Sod Farm property. The neighborhood would include single-family houses, townhouses, apartments, a senior living facility and a large mosque in the center. Retail outlets and parks also are part of the proposed development.

“It’s demoralizing,” said Suleiman Adan, deputy executive director for CAIR-Minnesota. “There is always something put in front of these developers.”

Mayor Rob Rafferty requested residents and other stakeholders who signed up to speak during the open comment period on Monday to refrain from making comments relating to racism and Islamophobia, themes that have emerged in previous meetings as the contentious issue has been debated.

Members of the city’s public safety team were present to ensure the meeting remained orderly.

Patty Miller, a 45-year Lino Lakes resident, supported the council’s decision, saying, “Let’s do it right and have well-planned developments, not just well-intended developments.”

Zikar Holdings submitted an application to the city in late April. Since then, at several City Council meetings, some citizens have raised concerns about increased traffic and noise, burdening schools, straining the city’s water system, environmental issues and fears about too much growth too fast.

Minnesota state law allows municipalities to enact moratoriums while they conduct studies to protect the planning process as well as the health, safety and welfare of residents.

In the past month, CAIR-Minnesota representatives have accused the City Council of placing Madinah Lakes under more scrutiny than other projects.

“It’s almost clear from the moment the application for this development was submitted members of the City Council made an attempt to stop it from happening,” Adan said Tuesday. “We wished they had been upfront from the beginning.”

While neither CAIR nor Zikar Holdings have announced their next steps, both have previously said they might take legal action.

But that threat did not dissuade the council from instituting a moratorium, which will go into effect Aug. 15.

“No amount of tactics, intimidation, bullying will taint the legitimacy of our work,” Council Member Chris Lyden said before voting in favor of the moratorium. “Because I don’t agree with you does not make me Islamophobic.”

Michael Ruhland, another City Council member, pointed out that Zikar Holdings submitted its application after the city announced it was looking into enacting a moratorium.

“That does not translate into discrimination,” he said.

Developer Faraaz Yussuf said he was not surprised by Monday’s outcome, adding that it’s not the end of Madinah Lakes. He said Zikar Holdings has claimed 11 miles of roads in Lino Lakes through the “Adopt a Highway” program and has a clean-up day set for July 20.

“We plan to be part of the Lino Lakes community. We are not going anywhere,” he said in a phone interview. “We face these battles in every city we go to. It just gives us a resolve to make the development a reality.”