The Lino Lakes City Council approved a master plan Monday evening that would guide all development in an area that includes the proposed Madinah Lakes development aimed at Muslim homebuyers.
The master plan lays out protocols for development in a 962-acre area in the northwest part of the city for the next 30 years. The plan requires that high-density residential and commercial developments be concentrated in the westernmost part of the city.
Monday’s development comes after public outcry over the much-contested Madinah Lakes proposal prompted the city to enforce a year-long moratorium starting last year so the city could craft the master plan. In response, Madinah Lakes developer Faraaz Mohammed sued the city, claiming that anti-Muslim sentiment drove the decision. A federal judge denied his lawsuit, which sought to end the moratorium.
Mohammed, who has also used the name Faraaz Yussuf, was not at Monday’s meeting and did not respond to Sahan Journal’s request to comment.
Mohammed is the president of Zikar Holdings, which bought a former sod farm in March 2024 with the intention of turning it into a 400-unit residential development and shopping area built around a mosque. The project planned to bring in 1,500 residents, mostly Muslim, according to The New York Times.
Dean Dovolis, Madinah Lakes’ architect, told The Minnesota Star Tribune before Monday’s meeting that the master plan would alter the developer’s proposed plan, making it significantly more expensive.
Leila Bunge, the master plan’s project manager, said that it was a “lengthy public process” and involved “a lot of community engagement” from community stakeholders, developers and school districts.
The master plan mandates that high density residential and commercial buildings can’t exceed three stories, can only house 8-10 units per acre, and must adhere to the city’s environmental assessment.
City Council members praised the plan as “incredible, quick and important with two large developments coming in.” The council members did not specify which developments they were referring to, but Madinah Lakes and the Java Lino Lakes developments were discussed later in the meeting on Monday.
Randy Rennaker, who was one of the few Lino Lakes residents at the meeting, also praised the plan and thanked the city for “due process,” adding, “We welcome development.” Another resident, who did want to be named, expressed her disappointment, saying that the plan concentrates high-density developments in one part of the city.
The Madinah Lakes project has drawn community disapproval and significant opposition from the local community members who said they didn’t want such rapid development in the area. But only a few people attended Monday’s meeting.
Some have said opposition to the development is rooted in Islamophobia around a Muslim-centric development project.
Mohammed’s past has also been brought into question. The developer pleaded guilty in 2013 to theft by swindle. He has also been sued for allegedly misleading a client by using a different name for contract work that was never completed. Some Lino Lakes residents have cited his past as reasons for their apprehension towards the development.
