ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A proposed mosque in Albuquerque’s North Valley is moving forward after Bernalillo County commissioners rejected an appeal seeking to overturn the project’s approval, despite months of opposition from residents concerned about traffic, development, and the character of the surrounding community.
Commissioners voted 4-1 on Oct. 14 to deny the appeal and uphold the conditional-use approval for the Albuquerque Islamic Center at 9600 Second St. NW, near Alameda Boulevard. The decision marked the latest step in a months-long dispute that has drawn large crowds to county hearings and generated significant resistance from some North Valley residents.
The Albuquerque Islamic Center has proposed a roughly 45,000-square-foot mosque on the property, saying its existing facility on Menaul Boulevard has become too small for its growing congregation.
The appeal was led by Pat Hauser, president of the Maria/Diers Neighborhood Association, who argued that county officials approved the project without sufficient evidence that the site and surrounding road system could accommodate the development.
Opponents have repeatedly raised concerns about congestion along Second Street and Alameda Boulevard, an area that already experiences heavy traffic. They have also questioned whether a large assembly facility is compatible with the North Valley’s historically rural character.
Andrea Archuleta, speaking on behalf of Hauser during the October hearing, argued that the county should have required a project-specific traffic analysis before granting conditional-use approval.
“The finding must be made on evidence now, not after the use has already been approved,” Archuleta told commissioners.
Archuleta also emphasized that the formal appeal was not based on the religious affiliation of the applicant.
“We do not oppose a mosque or any faith’s community right to worship,” she said. “We would raise the same objections to any comparable high-volume assembly on this constrained corridor.”
However, the project has also attracted broader opposition from individuals who objected specifically to Islam. Public meetings throughout the summer included comments about Sharia law, Islamic beliefs and whether a mosque belonged in the community. Hauser has publicly distanced the neighborhood association’s appeal from those arguments.
Commissioner Walt Benson, whose district includes the proposed site, cast the lone vote in favor of the appeal. Benson said existing traffic and infrastructure problems in the North Valley made him concerned about adding another large public facility.
“My concern is really the character of the North Valley,” Benson said. “It’s not built for additional public development like this.”
The Islamic Center has made changes to its proposal as the dispute has continued, including removing plans for a school. The project would include 235 parking spaces, according to presentations to the county.
Approval also comes with conditions. A traffic impact study must be completed, and the Islamic Center could be required to pay for road improvements needed to address traffic generated by the project. County officials have said the development may need to be reduced in size if it cannot meet transportation requirements. Amplified sound outside the building will also be prohibited.
Islamic Center representatives have said the new facility is necessary because the congregation has outgrown its current location and have argued that the project can be developed while addressing neighborhood concerns.
The October vote follows a 5-1 decision by the Bernalillo County Planning Commission in July rejecting an earlier challenge to the project.
While the latest ruling allows the mosque proposal to continue through the development process, the continuing traffic study, infrastructure requirements and permitting process mean construction is not yet unconditional.
