Bartlett Board of Alderman says no to new mosque
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A proposal to build a new mosque led to a heated debate at Bartlett's City Hall meeting on Tuesday night.
The proposal was shut down after residents said it would have been a traffic nightmare.
It was a packed meeting as the Board of Alderman struck down a proposal from the Bartlett Muslim Society to build a mosque after a 5-1 vote.
Mosque members were looking for a special use permit for a property bought back in 2023 on the east side of Broadway Road, just north of the Ellendale five-way intersection.
'I just don't feel like you were advised correctly,' Alderwoman Monique Williams said.
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The 15,000-square-foot mosque was set to be built in three stages, starting this year and ending in 2028.
It would've included a place of worship, 52 parking spaces and meeting rooms.
The Muslim Society said the building could save Muslim residents' commute time to Memphis' other mosques.
'That is the reason we want this facility,' one member said. 'For the people that are committed, this is a huge hardship, a huge burden to drive 30 minutes in the morning and come back home.
The main concern for Bartlett residents, if the mosque were to be built, is the potential increase in traffic.
'I'm not against any kind of worship group, be it (a) synagogue, mosque, church, whatever. Just not on Broadway Road,' a resident said.
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'I can't get out of my driveway most days,' another resident said. 'I've been in two wrecks there. I've been spun into my own driveway with my daughter sitting in the backseat.'
WREG dug deeper to get a copy of the traffic study ordered by the City of Bartlett.
The study supported the mosque at that location.
However, the Board of Alderman said traffic study or not, they can't approve it.
'I just think it is a bad plan for that location,' Alderman Jack Young said.
The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the Bartlett Muslim Society and warns that the denial could have legal ramifications.
'In this case, courts often require cities to consider half measures or other measures that can be done to mitigate traffic or mitigate those concerns before they deny the permit,' said Stella Yarbrough, the Legal Director of ACLU-TN.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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