The Town of Oyster Bay has reached a $3.95 million settlement with Muslims on Long Island, Inc. (MOLI), agreeing to approve its plans for a new mosque on the site of an existing house of worship in Bethpage and resolving a lawsuit over the project.

With the settlement, MOLI can demolish the two current buildings on the property and build a single new structure with on-site parking and design elements that MOLI says will mitigate the town’s traffic and safety concerns in the surrounding area. The $3.95 million settlement is intended to reimburse MOLI for legal fees and associated expenses. The town will also repeal a 2022 law that required significantly more parking from new places of worship.

“We are grateful to put this chapter behind us and to move forward in partnership with our neighbors,” Moeen Qureshi, a named plaintiff, said in a news release about the settlement.

The federal lawsuit was filed in January in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York by MOLI. In the lawsuit, MOLI claimed that the mosque project had been opposed by town officials and some community members. The town maintained it had planning concerns.

Now, both MOLI and town officials say they are committed to fostering community across Long Island.

“Our new mosque will be a place where everyone – regardless of faith – will be welcome. We look forward to hosting the town’s leadership, our neighbors and our friends from across Long Island at our new house of worship,” Qureshi said.

“This is a day of new beginnings,” Imran Makda, a named plaintiff, said in the news release.

“Our doors will always be open to the community, and we hope our mosque will be a place where people come together in friendship and mutual respect,” Makda added.

“This agreement resolves outstanding planning concerns and allows us to move forward in good faith as one community,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in the news release.

“The Town of Oyster Bay has and always will respect the rights of all faith communities,” he added.