Excerpt:
When Norwalk received a proposal to build the city's first mosque, it was rejected by officials who said the structure was too big for the largely residential area and would create too much traffic.
The applicants filed a federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination and the U.S. Justice Department, which has been intervening in mosque projects around the country, launched an inquiry into the handling of the proposal.
Now, the city is moving to settle the lawsuit and support a version of the closely watched project. Norwalk officials say religion was never part of their considerations.