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of the Muslim Community Center – East Bay (MCC). He noted that MCC has been in <br />Pleasanton since 2003 and that MCC has rented two facilities on Quarry Lane. He <br />indicated that from its past history, MCC has never had any issues with neighbors or <br />any complaints from residences or businesses around the facility.He noted that from <br />September 2009 to the present, MCC has rented a facility at 1249 Quarry Lane and that <br />there are three other tenants in the building with whom MCC has a very good <br />relationship. <br />Mr. Siddiqui stated that MCC’s goal is to promote civic values and traditions, embrace <br />diversity, promote a productive environment for youth, and offer quiet prayer services <br />five times a day. He indicated that the prayers are attended by only a small number of <br />people due to their work commitments and that their largest gatherings are on Fridays <br />between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.He added that they do not envision any <br />major change when they move into the new facility. <br />Mr. Siddiqui stated that the MCC community consists of professionals throughout the <br />Tri-Valley area, which is one of the reasons MCC decided to purchase the building. He <br />noted that before signing the purchase agreement, MCC representatives met with the <br />Planning staff and have been working very closely with them since. He added that <br />MCC is open to answering any questions or concerns the City or neighbors may have <br />and is planning to have an Open House after moving into the facility to which neighbors <br />will be invited. He indicated that he has also met with their tenants in the new location, <br />who are very pleased to have MCC in the building as they were not happy with the <br />noise generated by the previous tenant, the Self Defense Institute. <br />Mr. Siddiqui then asked those in the audience to raise their hands if they were in <br />support of the proposal. <br />Commissioner Pearce asked Mr. Siddiqui if he was amenable to a condition limiting <br />weddings to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays. <br />Mr. Siddiqui replied that he was. He added that he did not expect to have too many <br />weddings. <br />Gustavo Nystrom, a Dublin resident, indicated that he has been very active in the <br />Catholic Community of Pleasanton and that his specialty is relating to other religions. <br />He stated that he established a significant dialogue between the Jewish and Catholic <br />communities in Pleasanton two years ago and that they drew 175 people for six <br />sessions. He added that he also escorted groups who want to visit religious places, <br />whether Muslim, Jewish, or Hindu, and that he hopes to add visits to Catholic churches <br />as well. <br />Mr. Nystrom stated that when MCC lost its lease on Quarry Lane, the MCC <br />representatives asked him if they could utilize some space at the Catholic Church. He <br />stated that MCC tried it for one month and several months thereafter, and began using <br />the Catholic Church facility for the main prayer on Fridays at around 1:00 p.m. He then <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, June 9, 2010 Page 5 of 9 <br /> <br />