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Temple threatened with closure over parking problem
Fairfax County officials threatened this month to close a busy Hindu temple in Chantilly if its worshipers continued to park on roads surrounding the temple."The temple is currently in zoning violation due to RESIDENTIAL street parking," Rajdhani Mandir temple recently posted on its Web site. "As per County Officials, additional violations may result in the temple being SHUT DOWN."
Rajdhani Mandir Board of Directors Chairman Rajeev Khanna said temple leaders met with Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully) and zoning officials last week and were told of the possibility of closure because the temple is breaking an agreement by not supplying enough parking for worshipers.
Parking at Rajdhani Mandir has been a longstanding issue, with residents making numerous complaints of temple visitors clogging the Pleasant Valley community with their parked cars.
Khanna said one reason for the problem is that, "Eight years ago, a family of four drove to the temple in one car. Now [the children] are grown and are taking their own cars."
He also noted that, since 2000, the number of temple members has increased three-fold. Currently, the temple has about 700 members, but only 87 parking spots.
One idea temple leaders are pursuing is to add more parking on a 1-acre parcel the temple purchased this year. If the plan is approved by county officials, the lot would add about 360 more parking spaces.
However, many residents oppose the parking lot plan over fears that Rajdhani Mandir wants to grow in the future.
“If the temple expands, congestion on Pleasant Valley Road may get worse,” resident Scott Miller wrote in a neighborhood newsletter earlier this year.
Khanna said he and other temple leaders are more than willing to meet with residents to ease concerns.
"We have to find a permanent solution to this," he said.
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