Hundreds of residents packed a Loganville, Georgia, City Council meeting Thursday night to oppose the already-started construction of a nearly 20,000-square-foot, three-story Islamic training center and mosque.

Many argued construction had already begun without proper public notice or a council vote.

Dozens spoke during the lengthy meeting, with some people waiting nearly five hours in the parking lot for their turn, according to reports.

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The proposed facility at 883 Lee Byrd Road would replace a small existing Loganville Islamic Center that has operated out of a house on the five-acre tract since 2023, after the Lawrenceville-based Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious and Social Sciences purchased the property for $630,000.

Residents expressed frustration that construction was underway and that they were only learning about the scale of the project now, with one speaker demanding the city halt work until permits could be verified and another questioning why the project had not gone through normal channels so the community would know what was happening.

"If required permits were never issued, then why hasn't the city taken enforcement action? We know no permits [were] issued for work being done, and until the city can verify permits are in place, then I'm calling for the construction work to stop," one resident said, according to a report from Fox 5.

Councilmember Melanie Long told the crowd the proposal for the building never came before the council and that officials were unsure what would happen next.

City officials have pushed back on claims that the project skipped required steps.