Another Roadblock for Hindu Temple

Nearly 70 people showed up in Urbana Thursday night in hopes of a decision. Its one theyve been waiting for since last year. Some Hindu worshipers say they have no place here to worship, and thats really what this is all about. But some homeowners say its not good for the neighborhood. They say the land the group wants to build on is prime farmland that should be protected. They worry a five acre temple will create a traffic overflow and drainage problems. “I would like to know that there has been a study done to ensure water can run at the same rate it does currently,” says Fran Ray, a Thoroughbred Subdivision Homeowner. But some Hindu supporters say the drainage issue is really a non-issue. “I dont know why they have an issue with septic tank and drainage,” says Pravin Patel. “That I dont understand. We need a temple here in town.” It looked like tonight could have been the night for a decision, but three members of the zoning board werent here. Another board member decided he couldnt vote because of a conflict of interest. That meant they didnt have enough people to vote, so theyre pushing it off until the end of May. This debate goes back for months, but its not the first for the Hindu group. They have been fighting for a temple in Champaign County for two years. They wanted to build in Urbana back in 2005, but ran into opposition from neighbors there too. Ultimately money problems kept them from building there.