When they outgrew a rented space in Holland, the 100 or so members of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo made plans to build a new home along Emmajean Road near the University of Toledo.
But instead of welcoming a growing house of worship, City Councilman Tyrone Riley and some would-be neighbors of the new temple are blocking the project.
In June, the Toledo Plan Commission unanimously approved construction of the 8,100-square-foot temple on 10 acres of donated land.
Michael and Rena Leizerman donated the land and $1.5 million for construction, contingent upon those funds being used to construct the temple at the proposed site on Emmajean. Without the donations, organizers have said they do not have the funds to move the temple to a new facility.
The single-story structure’s design does not include spires or otherwise obvious religious features, and the temple would be built at least 100 feet away from Emmajean, with the majority of the site as woods.
Despite the plan commission’s OK, Mr. Riley delayed a final approval vote on the temple, saying he had concerns about “protecting and preserving the integrity of the neighborhood.”
What, exactly, about Buddhists worshiping in a new temple threatens a neighborhood’s “integrity” is unclear.
Some of Mr. Riley’s constituents also have objected to the temple. Some who live nearby say they are worried about traffic on their residential streets. That is at least a specific and potentially reasonable concern, but a traffic study submitted with the plans for the temple show that it will create only minor traffic problems.
Supporters of the new temple contend that a new Christian church or synagogue would not likely receive the same kind of opposition. They’re right. In fact, it is easy to imagine most city neighborhoods, including those in Mr. Riley’s district, eagerly welcoming such congregations.
The vague objections about “neighborhood integrity” smack instead of religious intolerance, which should have no place in Toledo. If Mr. Riley has any legitimate, specific concerns about the Buddhist temple coming to his district, he should spell them out. Otherwise, he should give up his campaign to stop a growing religious community from growing in Toledo.
First Published July 30, 2019, 4:00 a.m.
