Muslims seeking approval of a Sammamish mosque and neighbors hoping to prevent the project will get to argue their sides in front of a hearing examiner on Feb. 11.

The review is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at City Hall and is open to the public. According to city senior planner Evan Maxim, a final decision is expected a week or two after the hearing.

In September of 2012, the city gave the Sammamish Muslim Association approval to convert a 2,900-foot home into a prayer center in the 22000 block of Southeast 20th Street, just north of Pine Lake. The group first submitted its application for a prayer center in August 2010.

Shortly after the SMA received approval, the group “Friends of SE 20th” appealed the decision, forcing the hearing examiner review. The community group has cited several concerns, including overflow parking, pedestrian needs, the outfall of a stormwater retention pond and protection of wildlife.

After giving its conditional approval last fall, the city tried to ease community concerns, noting the facility is not much different than other religious institutions in similar neighborhoods throughout Sammamish.

The conversion of the single-family would be accompanied by the addition of 44 parking spaces, allowing members to practice Friday noon and Ramadan prayers on site. It would also open up space for community events, like weddings.

Under current regulations, the group is only allowed eight cars on site.

Wassim Fayed, a member of the mosque’s board of trustees, said in September that the extra parking would be beneficial for the Sammamish Muslim Association and the organization would remain conscious of its neighbors.

“We are residents of Sammamish and we are indeed friends of SE 20th,” he said. “We want to keep Sammamish beautiful and truly make it a place to call home. Our kids go to the same schools as our neighbors and we want to continue to be good citizens. The best thing we can do as a community is to get to know each other. We love Sammamish and we love our neighbors.”