Concord has a new City Councilor named Ali Sekou. Congrats to him. He is also the president of the IQRA Islamic Society of Greater Concord. His Mosque sits on a piece of property adjacent to the First Congregational Church at 177 N. Main St, in whose lot (some) his Mosque attendees are alleged to have parked.
The church has been closed and unused for a while – I’m not clear how long, but parking is always an issue if you’ve spent time trying to access anything on Main Street in Concord. Given how little parking is available to anyone regardless of their religious affiliation, that empty lot most certainly looked inviting, and it was close.
There would be no good reason not to use it until the property was purchased by developers looking to add much-needed housing – and there are few in Concord who can’t shut up about the need for MORE HOUSING!
From Patch.com.
Their first proposal included 34 one- and two-bedroom apartments with rents expected to start at $1,400 monthly. The pair purchased the building and related parcels for $625,000 in October 2023 and planned on spending about $5 million renovating the building.
The Coalition purchased the building and connected parcels for $800,000 in December 2020.
Ali is a smart guy. The dude speaks four languages, is well-educated, ran for office supporting new housing development, and is suing the city to prevent the 30-unit housing development on the First Congregational Church property next to his Mosque.
The lawsuit lists several injustices, claiming the zoning board “acted unlawfully and unreasonably when it purported to find that it could reach the merits of the applicant’s second variance application,” “discouraged the public from repeating comments,” and that the development would “significantly alter this and create an intensity of use foreign to this property and area.” There are other concerns, not the least of which should be why a politician who ran for public office to address the housing crunch opposes new housing. It’s got a very NIMBY-like feel to it, with him being the mosque president.
It does get cold in Concord despite all the global warming rhetoric. Rain. Snow. It might be challenging to encourage new people to attend the Mosque, given the distance you might have to walk—all that noisy construction. It adds a disincentive to attend when the destination is inaccessible except by foot on city sidewalks, sometimes covering blocks depending on the hour and the day, but not to the 30 families who would be living next door for short money in the current New Hampshire rental property market.
Downtown. High walkability score. Everything is accessible, especially the Mosque! It’s right next door!
Of course, since the developers purchased the property, any available space for parking at the church has been cordoned off. One Concord resident I spoke with said there’s a no parking sign. I suspect there’s more to the story, and we love anonymous tips and whistleblowers (hint-hint).
I’ve no dog in this fight, not my city, so we wish both sides of this lawsuit the best. But NIMBY or parking, the current climate favors new housing, so good luck stopping that.
