Proposed Mosque's Engineer Addresses Concerns From Officials, Residents

An engineer for the applicant of a proposed Liberty Corner mosque was the focus of a more than three-and-a-half-hour hearing Tuesday night before the Bernards Township Planning Board.

Adnan Khan, addressed questions raised in letters from the township's experts about the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge's application to build a 4,250-square-foot mosque in place of a home on Church Street.

The next hearing date has been set for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, with the meeting to take place at the Bernards Township Library.

The topics addressed Tuesday included discussion of a revised drainage plan, with a "jellyfish" that would take in and filter stormwater runoff before discharging the water. Khan told neighbors the drainage plan would overall reduce stormwater runoff onto nearby properties.

He said the system would be designed to handle more than the volume produced by the theoretical "100-year-storm."

However, Khan said under questioning by resident Lori Caratzola that a power outage would shut the pump on the system.

Khan faced questions from residents after the board members and board experts had addressed the proposal.

Planning Board Attorney Jonathan Drill said some issues already have been fully addressed by the applicant, in his opinion. For example, he said, the applicant's proposal to build 70 parking spaces initially and "bank" another 37 spots that would be built within 120 days if some or all of those spots were deemed necessary by the township — or by the mosque owners.

He also said a line of questioning about whether a sewer line leading from the property is legitimate is an issue that could only be answered in Superior Court — and that decisions about awarding sewer capacity fall within the jurisdiction of the Bernards Township Sewerage Authority.