EPIC City, a massive development project set to be constructed near Plano, Texas, has drawn both enthusiasm and criticism from different sectors of the community.
The 402-acre development would be in unincorporated Collin and Hunt counties near Josephine, approximately 40 miles northeast of Dallas, and would include a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school, senior housing, an outreach center, commercial centers, sports facilities and a community college specifically made for the Muslim community.
This project is being developed by the East Plano Islamic Center has been bombarded with negative attention online and at least five investigations from state officials.
“We see the reactions of the people of the muslim community and the reactions of people that are Plano residents and neighboring cities as well. We want to make sure that this is a fair representation on both ends between our clients at EPIC City and the residents of Collin County,” according to Anthony Osso, an attorney who works under the Cogdell Law Firm, and Dan Cogdell, the lead attorney representing this project.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott recently said this regarding the actions being taken against the EPIC City and that he had “directed the Texas Rangers to open an investigation” into the East Plano Islamic Center and affiliated entities “for potential criminal activities.” Abbott is not keen at all towards this plan and has been reported saying, “this project will never see the light of day.”
“Both us at Cogdell and our client have seen what he has been saying but it’s best to not speak on it and let our results do the talking,” Osso said, regarding the comments made by Abbott.
Nico Shehata, a Muslim of the Plano Mosque, is enthusiastic about the development of EPIC City.
“This could be the biggest thing to happen to Muslim culture in the United States ever,” Shehata said. “The Plano Mosque means the world to me, however it has begun to get overcrowded which by no means is a bad thing. I love that my religion is growing and growing here in the U.S but this thing that is planned could help us and even make me want to live there in the future with my fellow Muslims and start a family.”
Plano Resident Kevin Rodriguez doesn’t like the separation.
“I feel that this just kind of splits us up, don’t you feel like? I have no hate towards any religion but them just being able to do that and just make a whole new city basically just for their culture,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do, it makes it feel like other religions are against them which is not the case at all.”
