Mosque design work set to go on Jos. Campau site

Work will begin in the next couple of weeks to transform this building on Jos. Campau and Caniff into a mosque.

By Charles Sercombe

          It’s been six months since the Al Islah Mosque was given the go-ahead to fix up their new location at the northeast corner of Jos. Campau and Caniff.

          And now it appears the mosque is ready to start that project.

          The mosque recently pulled a permit to begin redesigning the outside of the two-story building.

          According to the contractor slated to do the project, work will begin in about two weeks.

          The mosque’s design was initially rejected by the city’s Plan Commission because it did not conform to city code. The design initially would have blocked most of the windows on the building.

          The city’s design code says that at least 70 percent of a commercial building’s façade has to be open window. The new design will have a Middle-Eastern motif that includes minarets on top of the building. It’s estimated that the work will cost about $275,000.

          It was not immediately clear why there was a delay in starting the project. A spokesman for the mosque could not be reached for comment.

          The location of the mosque caused some initial concern since there will be three mosques on that block and — like all religious institutions — no property taxes are collected from the site.