Agreement reached to resolve lawsuit over planned mosque

STERLING HEIGHTS (AP) — A Detroit suburb that denied a religious organization’s plan for a mosque in a residential neighborhood has agreed to settle two lawsuits that alleged discrimination.

Sterling Heights City Council voted late Tuesday to accept the settlements, including one in a lawsuit brought in December by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The mosque project will proceed, but a final site plan still needs to be approved.

The Detroit News reports the settlement resolves issues such as parking and traffic congestion.

In 2015, the city’s planning commission voted against a special land agreement for the mosque sought by the American Islamic Community Center. A lawsuit brought by the center noted a “hostile” commission and public.