The SunPost

The Miami Zoning Board decided Monday to postpone issuing a special permit that would allow a Tibetan Buddhist institute to continue operating in a residential area.

The Zab Sang Institute has been operating in a house at 3570 Main Highway in Coconut Grove without a permit for three years. After the city fined it $90,000 for code violations � which was later reduced to $20,000, according to board member Jorge Lopez � the institute applied in April for a permit to operate a place of worship in the single-family home.

Yet, residents who live in the cul-de-sac where the institute is located began complaining after congregants� cars blocked the entrance to the 20-foot-wide road leading to their driveways.

Lucia Dougherty, an attorney for Master Chufei Tsai, owner of the Zab Sang Institute, said the government can�t shut down a religious institution. �This country was founded on religious freedoms,� she said, adding that most religious congregations in Miami exist in residential areas. �You want them in residential areas so you can walk to them and so they can be a part of the community.�

However, neighbor Annette Pichardo said the issue had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with traffic and safety. �It becomes a nuisance when people aren�t parking correctly,� she said.

Pichardo said Zab Sang Institute visitors park along the one-way cul-de-sac, making it impossible for a fire rescue truck to get through.

�They�re parking anywhere and I can only get to my house down that small road,� Pichardo said. �God forbid there was a fire.�

She also claimed fistfights have broken out between Zab Sang Institute patrons and cul-de-sac residents over the parking problems, an accusation denied by Zab Sang supporters.

�These are the calmest people,� said Valerie Woods, an institute member. �I can�t imagine them fistfighting.�

Dougherty told the board she would take the next legal step if Tsai is not allowed to practice her religion and cited a similar lawsuit in Hollywood, Fla.

�Master Tsai has taken a vow of poverty and chooses to do community service,� Dougherty said. �You cannot take away her First Amendment right.�

However, board member Cornelius Shiver said the fact that Zab Sang Institute is a place of worship is irrelevant if emergency vehicles can�t pass through.

Board member Joseph Ganguzza agreed. �It�s really not about religion,� he said. Ganguzza was one of several board members who wanted to postpone the discussion until Jan. 28.

Although Dougherty said institute patrons can use parking spaces at a civic center just a few blocks away, some neighbors insist that Zab Sang�s patrons prefer to use the street as their parking lot.

�I�m here because I can�t get out of my driveway,� screamed one angry neighbor, who refused to give his name. �You�re doing a disservice to taxpayers!�

So far, the Pichardos are the only homeowners among the six houses in the cul-de-sac that have formally complained about Zab Sang.

�I cannot speak for my neighbors,� Pichardo said. �I can only tell you that most of them live busy lives and could not make the meeting.�

Reginald Nicholson, a practicing Buddhist, said he hopes the institute and the neighbors can reach a compromise.

�I�ve lived in Coconut Grove for 13 years, and I would like to see both sides come to a medium,� he said. �When I came down with cancer I was personally affected by the church.�

Comments? E-mail letters@miamisunpost.com

home