About the Site
Neighbors in favor of a neighborhood mosque

The site proposed for the Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) is appropriate for a neighborhood mosque or house of worship, but not for a national-scale megaplex with convention and fitness center spaces.

Located at 3450 248th Avenue, the site is almost one mile west of IL-59, and a mile east of the business district on Wolfs Road. The site is bounded on all sides by residential neighborhoods: single family homes. The site is located on 248th Avenue, a minor arterial street, midway between 95th Street and 103rd Street, neither of which is a major arterial. Although 248th Avenue is slated for improvements, it is not clear that those improvements will be sufficient to handle the added volume of traffic. There are currently no plans to increase the capacity of 95th or 103rd Streets.

The site is currently zoned R1 (Low-Density Single-Family residential zoning) and it is surrounded on all sides by communities with that same zoning. A change of zoning from “R1” to “R1 with Conditional Use” zoning would be required for a place of worship, such as a mosque.

The site abuts the Tall Grass Greenway Trail, an almost 4-mile trail that goes through many neighborhoods in South Naperville. This is a very active trail for walkers, runners, and bikers, and it is used by families and children of all ages. Although some improvements to the trail’s crossing at 248th Avenue are proposed, those improvements don’t currently involve any grade separation, such as a bridge or tunnel. Bikers and walkers would still need to cross this increasingly busy street.

In short, this is a site surrounded by homes, on a street that runs entirely through residential neighborhoods.

A neighborhood house of worship, drawing traffic from the surrounding neighborhoods, would make sense for this site. A regional or national complex, on the other hand, should be located on major arterial streets and not in the middle of quiet, single-family homes.

  • The site is 13.6 acres
  • The site is in Naperville (it was annexed in 2011)
  • Within half a mile there are:
    • 2 retirement communities
    • 2 elementary schools
    • 1 middle school