Robinson says no to proposed Islamic-themed school, citing traffic

The Robinson Township Planning Commission last week declined a proposal to open a nonprofit K-8 school with an Islamic-themed curriculum.

During a May 22 meeting, the Al-Andalus Institute of Pittsburgh sought approval to convert an old office building on Campbells Run Road into a school. The building is located in an area zoned for office and industrial uses. Representing the school, attorney John Butya argued the proposal met all criteria for the conditional use of the property.

Concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety arose during the meeting, with several board members saying that the school representatives had not planned for traffic generated by the school.

Township officials did not respond to PublicSource’s queries about reasons for denying the application. The Al-Andalus Institute has the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Common Pleas. The institute’s representatives did not indicate whether they are contemplating an appeal.

The Institute registered with the state last month as a nonprofit based in Oakdale.

According to the zoning ordinance for conditional use of a property, a school must fulfill the following criteria:

• It must have direct access to a public street with sufficient capacity to handle any generated traffic.
• If the number of parking spaces exceeds 10, parking areas must meet landscaping requirements.
• No recreational facilities can be within 50 feet of the property.
• If the school is located in a residential district, the school’s course of instruction or other activities on the property shall not create noise, dust, glare, dirt or other nuisances affecting adjacent residences and all activities shall comply with the environmental performance standards.

Township engineer Brian Meyer said the school did not provide a circulation plan to show bus drop-offs, saying that the school’s plan to have school buses and parent drop-offs in the same place will create confusion and might not meet safety criteria.

“My concern becomes as, if there’s no dedicated plan here that shows how this is going to be done,” he said. “To me, that is a safety issue that needs to be addressed.”

Shorouq Bader, an educator and the school’s intended principal, said they are planning to hire traffic personnel to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic. She added the school plans on having different dismissal areas for pick-ups by parents and buses. Keiners Lane would be the primary route for drop-offs and pick-ups.

Eyaz Azzuni, an engineer and a parent supporting the school, said the school can also use Campbells Run Road for limited purposes which would reduce traffic and ease up student reception.

Township solicitor John Cambest said Keiners Lane has multiple access points and the school needed to consider the physical condition of the road.

Butya argued many of the board’s concerns about traffic should have been discussed and addressed as part of the permitting process after acceptance of the proposal for conditional use.

Butya added that the school might require more than 10 parking spaces and the school would comply with additional landscaping.

The Institute was expected to serve about 50 to 70 students across K-8 grades and was to be operated by a recognized religious organization while meeting all requirements of the state Department of Education.

For parents like Azzuni, the school would be a welcome alternative in the community that could teach their children about various religious and cultural aspects. He said many Islamic parents’ only options are to send their kids to the Universal Academy of Pittsburgh in Swissvale or homeschool.

“There’s a big population of Muslims in this area that are interested in a faith-based program in the area that will instill the values that we have and pass the heritage we hold dear to us to our children,” he said.

Lajja Mistry is the K-12 education reporter at PublicSource. She can be reached at lajja@publicsource.org .

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