United States v City of St. Anthony Village (D. Minn.)

On January 5, 2015, the court entered the consent order in United States v. City of St. Anthony (D. Minn.) under which the City will permit AHIC to worship permanently at its property. The consent order requires the city to pay $200,000 to the Abu-Huraira Islamic Center (AHIC) and includes injunctive relief, education, training, and reporting. On August 27, 2014, the United States filed a complaint under RLUIPA in United States v. City of St. Anthony Village (D. Minn.), alleging that the City of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota, imposed a substantial burden on and treated the Abu-Huraira Islamic Center (AHIC) on less than equal terms with non-secular assemblies when it denied AHIC's request for a conditional use permit to operate a place of religious assembly. After conducting a search for adequate prayer space lasting nearly three years, AHIC found an office building that met its needs and entered a purchase agreement. The property was in a central location for AHIC's congregation, had ample parking, and had a currently unused basement space that could accommodate a 11,600 square foot worship space, while keeping most of the above ground area for commercial tenants. The property was in a Light Industrial zone that permitted "assemblies, meeting lodges, and convention halls" as conditional uses, including a union hall that was rented out for banquet functions. Despite a recommendation for approval from the St. Anthony Village Planning Staff and the Planning Commission, the City Council denied the conditional use permit.