CAMBRIDGE — A $2.5-million Hindu temple is set to rise on a hectare of land off the southern tip of the Toyota plant in Cambridge.

City councillors, tossing aside a staff recommendation to reject the plans, approved them with a 9-0 planning committee vote on Tuesday night.

The two-storey temple, with half the funds already raised, could open in about a year or so.

"I'm happy, but I would have preferred the neighbourhood welcome us more," said Cambridge Hindu Society president Dwarka Persaud, whose growing congregation includes 400 local families.

"But we will win them over."

Everything seems possible for the Hindu Society now that council is firmly on the temple's side and a zoning change nearly two decades in the seeking, from agricultural to institutional, has been won.

Every nagging concern simply washed away on Tuesday.

Drainage issues. Parking spots. Provincial guidelines warning of putting such sensitive developments so close to an industrial giant. Toyota's objections to the project, expressed by a consultant. Not-in-my-front-yard residents already cornered by industry. Even written accusations of racism against city staff in their handling of the case.

None of them seemed to matter any more.

"It's an excellent, excellent use of this property," said Coun. Jan Liggett, who had been a neighbour of the Hindu Society's small, current temple of 30 years on Old Mill Road in the village of Blair.

"There were never any problems from it (in Blair) ... They were considered an asset to the neighbourhood. And I think that's what's going to happen here in the future."

So 18 years of waiting for a zone change application to be approved — on a property the Hindu Society has held for a new temple since 2000 — is over.

"Eighteen years is a long time," said Mayor Doug Craig, pondering the long-term ramifications if the temple was rejected.

"What do you do with this land? You sterilize it if, in fact, this doesn't go ahead. And then, what do you do?"

So the temple is going ahead, boosting Hindu Society spirits and pitching a report by senior city planner Matthew Blevins into the trash.

Blevins had become a focus for frustration felt by congregation members. A neighbourhood meeting on temple plans two months ago turned heated. Some congregation members, Persaud said, began to "speculate" Blevins was racist. Persaud said he and his executive do not share that opinion.

"When people don't get what they want, they grasp at things sometimes that are not called for," Persaud said of how his congregation, learning of staff's rejection, felt at that May public meeting.

"The meeting ended abruptly with Matthew's boss saying, 'Lets end the meeting.' No forewarning. And it was because of the behaviour of our congregation. But they didn't understand the frustration from the congregation. I myself was getting frustrated."

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During Tuesday's meeting, city solicitor Kelly Yerxa said the city had received written correspondence accusing staff of being racist in the handling of this application. Yerxa spoke of staff's role.

"They're not giving personal opinions, they're giving professional opinions based on planning documentation that they are required to consider," Yerxa said.

Coun. Mike Mann praised Blevins for doing his job with "integrity, honesty and true conviction." Blevins declined to comment after Tuesday's vote. But he and Persaud shook hands and talked briefly.

The next address for the temple will be 0 Royal Oak Road.

Not everyone will be pleased. Toyota may fear a spike in noise, odour and dust complaints somewhere down the line, even if the temple doesn't plan to complain. A few of the area homeowners declined to comment after Tuesday's vote. Dan Weinhardt pointed back to his comments to council.

"This is not compatible with us residents here," said Weinhardt, who lives on Royal Oak Road with four generations of his family.

"For us to look out our front yard and see a parking lot with lights ... The lot itself slopes up away from us. So the building that is already nine metres high will be sitting three or four metres above that — with a retaining wall facing our front yard. That's what we'll be looking at."

Weinhardt can always take up any concerns with Persaud himself. The two were on the same golf team at a charity tournament before they found out they were on opposite sides of a political sand trap.

"No matter how things turn out, we'll still play golf together," Weinhardt told Persaud after the meeting Tuesday.

"Let's set something up."

jhicks@therecord.com