Report: Judge Denies Township's Appeal on Mosque Ruling

Federal Judge Michael Shipp has ruled Bridgewater can continue to rehear the application by the Al Falah Center for approval for a mosque to be constructed at the Mountain Top Road location of the old Redwood Inn, according to a report on APP.com.  

Shipp had ordered the township to rehear the application, which was denied in 2011 after passage of an ordinance barring houses of worship from being located away from major roadways. The ruling required reconsidering the application without the ordinance, and Bridgewater appealed the decision—although meetings to begin rehearing the application were scheduled.

The township hoped to avoid the hearings, but Shipp said the township “had not sufficiently established a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal.”

Planning Board meetings have been scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 21, 22, 28 and 29 at Bridgewater-Raritan High School to conduct the application review.