Photo by Sam Yu This aerial photo of Walkersville looks northwest with Md. 194 running from left to right. At the bottom is the Nicodemus Farm which the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community wants to purchase.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's lawyer, Justin Hayes, asked town officials to delay a public hearing on whether the community can build on 224 agriculturally zoned acres on Woodsboro Pike.

The town's Board of Zoning Appeals voted Monday morning to postpone the hearing, originally scheduled for Thursday, until Jan. 8 with a continuation of Jan. 15.

Hayes was not at the meeting.

Before making the decision, the board debated whether to hold the public hearing during their Dec. 6 meeting. Hayes previously stated he might not be ready to present his case by early December.

The board voted to allow the community one hour of testimony during the hearing, instead of the three hours Ahmadiyya requested; the time allotted is normally 20 minutes.

On Monday, board members also voted to allow 30 minutes of testimony from each of the three community groups attorney Robert McGill will represent at the hearing.

McGill had requested a total of an hour and a half; normally, each group would have the floor for 10 minutes.

The public hearing will be upstairs in a gymnasium-sized room and, like all public meetings, must be taped.

Walkersville ordinances allow a place of worship on land zoned for agricultural as a special exception that must be approved by the board of appeals.

Commissioner Chad Weddle has proposed a zoning amendment that would not allow places of worship on agricultural land, even as an exception; the town board recently delayed a vote on that proposal.

The Muslim community has not purchased the land, known as the Nicodemus farm. It is owned by David Moxley.

Community members hope to use existing buildings and construct a new building containing two gymnasiums, four multipurpose rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.

The community wants to use the property for an annual religious event that would bring 5,000 to 10,000 people to the town each summer, in addition to creating a place of worship for about 20 local families.

Many residents have voiced their opposition during recent town meetings, saying the community's annual event would clog already crowded roads beyond capacity and change the atmosphere of the town.

David Haller, town manager, said Monday that the final decision will be based on what is best for the land.

"The main thing we want to do is be fair," Haller said. "We know this is a heated issue."