New York City authorities on Tuesday gave final approval to an Islamic group’s controversial plan to build a mosque and community center two blocks from Manhattan’s ground zero, The New York Times and Bloomberg report.

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9-0 to deny landmark status to a building on the site, clearing the way for the development by the nonprofit Cordoba Initiative. Following the vote, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg issued an impassioned defense of the project, saying that “we would betray our values if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else.”

While the 13-story development meets legal and zoning strictures, it has been criticized as insensitive to victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks by some victims’ families, conservative leaders such as Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, and the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish rights organization. Opponents said they would continue to fight the project in court.

Organizers said the center it will be designed to promote interfaith dialogue and will feature a memorial to the victims of the 2001 attacks.

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