Jackson Township's Zoning Board is scheduled tonight to continue hearing Kehilla Dbrookwood IV's Site Plan application which also requires Conditional use relief.
This hearing is a real big deal to the neighbors of this community as there is no proper shul in the entire Brookwood area.
As more and more families began moving in to this area and the closest Lakewood shul became inundated, a small group of Bnei Torah came together and started a small Shabbos minyan in an unfinished garage. As the minyan grew, the members chipped in and took out a loan to renovate a larger garage into a proper shul and Bais Medrash.
As the community continues to grow by leaps and bounds, the shul administration has been planning to expand by purchasing an existing house and expanding it.
The project site is at 1231 Aldrich Road at the intersection with East Connecticut Concourse.
Application documents indicate that the plan is to keep the existing single family home as it is currently used, and to construct a 3,411 sq feet shul building as an expansion onto the existing home.
The architectural plans depict a 2,099 sq foot Bais Medrash and 582 sq foot library on the first floor and a 1,420 sq foot simcha hall in the basement. The plans also depict mikvahs for men and women in the basement.
The Township's ordinances require houses of worship to provide off-street parking of 1 space per 50 sq feet of main congregant seating area. A 2,099 sq feet Bais Medrash requires 42 parking spaces. The existing single family home requires an additional 2 parking spaces.
The Site Plan depicts a total of 50 parking spaces, in excess of the Township's requirements. The parking lot will be accessible through driveways on both Aldrich Road and East Connecticut Concourse. The property's existing parking area will be removed to make way for the new parking lot.
The project includes hooking into city sewer and water.
The property is located in the R-15 residential zone. Houses of worship are a conditional use in this zoning district, provided that the required minimum lot area shall be two acres.
Kehilla Dbrookwood IV's property only contains a lot area of 1.49 acres. As such, in addition to Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan Approval, the application also requires Conditional Use relief.
Another condition is that "no principal building shall be located closer than 100 feet to any public street right-of-way and no closer than 50 feet to any rear or side property line." The shul's application seeks Conditional Use relief to provide a front yard setback of only 56.36 feet.
The shul's application further seeks Conditional Use relief from the minimum side yard setback buffer (15 feet where 50 feet is required) and impervious coverage requirements; and Bulk variance relief to permit parking in the front yard setback.
Block 6002 Lots 2 and 3 are included in this Site Plan. Public records obtained by FAA News indicate that lot 2 was sold on May 16, 2023 for $1,050,000 by Neil and Gae Margolies to Chaim Yosef Heimovits and Mattisyahu Nussbaum; and lot 3 is still owned by Neil and Gae Margolies.
The Zoning Board meeting will take place beginning at 7:00p.m. in the Main Meeting Room at the Jackson Township Municipal Building, located at 95 West Veterans Highway, Jackson, New Jersey 08527. The meeting is open to the public.
No legal notices were published or sent to the neighbors for tonight's hearing of this application as the Board previously heard testimony on this application at their April 19, 2023 public hearing and the Board did not require that any additional notice be given for tonight's continuation of the hearing on the application.
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