A years-long fight over a crowded New Hyde Park mosque has now landed in federal court. The Hillside Islamic Center has sued the Town of North Hempstead, accusing officials of unfairly blocking a long-planned rebuild and expansion of its property.
The congregation wants to replace its current two-story building with a code-compliant three-story structure, saying services are so packed that worshippers sometimes spill into the parking lot. In the lawsuit, congregants argue the town’s rejection reflects bias among officials and some neighbors rather than legitimate concerns about land use or safety.
The complaint accuses town leaders of mounting a “campaign of obstruction” after the town board voted to deny site-plan approval, even though multiple town reviewers and the Nassau County Planning Commission reportedly found no environmental, parking, or public-safety problems that would justify saying no, according to The New York Times. The filing describes months of contentious public hearings and heated online commentary as part of a pattern that ended with the board’s denial. The center is seeking relief in federal court while also keeping parallel claims alive in state court.
The expansion proposal, first filed in 2021, called for adding a third floor, upgrading landscaping, drainage, and paving, and building additional on-site parking to cut down on street congestion, according to Long Island Press. To make room, the center says it bought adjacent parcels and later brought an Article 78 challenge after the town board rejected the plans. Town officials cited traffic and public-safety worries when they voted down the application in early 2024 at a meeting that split along party lines.
Residents who opposed the project focused on familiar quality-of-life themes, including parking, noise, and the size of the proposed building, the complaint says. Some neighbors told town board members they viewed mosque-goers as “strangers” in the area, according to the filing. It also flags social-media posts the plaintiffs describe as Islamophobic, including comments that called congregants “terrorists,” as reported by The New York Times. Those online fights echo a series of mosque-zoning clashes that have played out across Long Island in recent years.
Long Island Flashpoint With Feds Watching
The Hillside dispute is unfolding in the shadow of another high-profile Long Island case. Masjid Al-Baqi in Bethpage secured roughly a $3.95 million settlement late last year after a multi-year battle with the Town of Oyster Bay over parking and approvals, a fight that grew so intense it prompted a statement of interest from the U.S. Department of Justice. WSHU reported on the settlement, the role of community pushback, and how federal civil-rights officials publicly weighed in on the case.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has said that zoning disputes like these can trigger issues under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, known as RLUIPA, when towns treat religious institutions less favorably than comparable secular assemblies, per the Justice Department.
What RLUIPA Might Mean For Hillside
RLUIPA, a federal law passed in 2000, gives churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions a way to challenge local land-use decisions that single them out or impose heavy burdens on religious exercise. The statute bars regulations that put a substantial burden on religious practice unless the government can show a compelling interest and that it used the least restrictive means available, according to Legal Information Institute.
Hillside Islamic Center has already tested its arguments in state court. A judge overturned the town board’s denial in early 2025, and the town later appealed that ruling, according to reporting from Long Island Press.
Mosque leaders say they plan to keep pressing both state and federal claims as they try to get construction underway, while worshippers continue to rely on overflow spaces for prayers. The center’s website outlines phased fundraising and building plans for the project. Local coverage notes that town officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest federal complaint. The project’s staged timeline is detailed on the Hillside Islamic Center site, and WSHU has followed related developments in the broader Long Island mosque-zoning battles.
