Muslim group sues Yonkers over house's landmark designation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Muslim group is suing the city of Yonkers over a house that received landmark designation that it had purchased to turn into a mosque.
A lawyer for the Islamic Community Center for Mid-Westchester says the suit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan.
The organization bought the house last year. A neighborhood group filed for it to receive the landmark designation, which the city approved in May. The designation means exterior changes must go through an approval process.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Muslim group says the landmark decision was discriminatory. The suit asks for an injunction nullifying the designation.
Yonkers spokeswoman Christina Gilmartin says the group is welcome to build a mosque. She says members aren't being discriminated against, they're being asked to follow the same historic preservation rules as everyone else.