it seems that jennings is back at it with his sub-par hacking - he is now trying to draw a paralell between a community based house of worship, and irelands mega-dream. I love the part about the 31 parking spaces...ohh, the controversy...LOL!!! When was the last time this kind of addition made news??? IMHO this paper has it's collective head up it's collective *ss.
02/17/05 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom Chabad Center wants to expand in Rockaway Twp. By Rob Jennings, Daily Record
ROCKAWAY TWP. — The Chabad Center of Northwest New Jersey, a synagogue and education center, has proposed building a two-story, 3,800-square-foot building off Pawnee Avenue for its pre-school program and Hebrew instructional classes.
Rabbi Asher Herson said the Chabad Center is growing in popularity and has outgrown its building on the other side of the block.
“We’re extremely limited in space,” Herson said on Wednesday.
Under the proposal, the Chabad Center would relocate its educational programs and office space to the new building, Herson said.
The basement would feature a mikva, which Herson described as a “private ritual bath for one person which is used on various occasions for preparation of special events,” such as Yom Kippur.
The existing two-story building would retain a synagogue for worship and a social hall, Herson said.
Plans have been filed with the township planning board, including requests for several variances.
Board chairman Mort Dicker said the application had not been deemed complete as of Feb. 2 but might be ready in time for discussion at the March 7 meeting.
The proposed building site is less than two miles from the site of another plan proposed by a religious institution — the 107-acre Green Pond Road property where Christ Church of Montclair wants to build its controversial mega-church.
The church site is located within a 395,000-acre preservation zone where development is strictly limited under the new Highlands law. The Chabad site is not within that area.
The church plan prompted a proposed zoning law revision for houses of worship, after the township planner testified last year that the existing ordinance is too vague. Herson said he did not know whether the proposed zoning amendment would impact the Chabad Center's building plan.
Christ Church, which received a Highlands law exemption from the state Department of Environmental Protection, is contemplating a lawsuit if the council adopts the new zoning ordinance March 1. The ordinance includes stricter rules for stormwater control, among other things, and would force a modest restructuring of the church plan, such as eliminating a parking deck. Christ Church’s plans for a 304,000-square-foot building include a 2,512-seat sanctuary and private K-5 school.
The Chabad Center would need several exemptions from township ordinances in order to build.
According to a report submitted on behalf of the Chabad Center by an engineering firm, it would need variances pertaining to rear yard setback, impervious coverage and off-street parking.
Instead of the 9- by 20-foot parking spaces mandated by the township, the Chabad Center is proposing 9- by 18-foot stalls for 24 parking spaces — seven less than the minimum 31 spaces.
Herson said the Chabad Center was founded 18 years ago and currently has 300 families as active members. Initially, it drew solely from the White Meadow Lake section but now attracts families from elsewhere in Rockaway Township and other municipalities, Herson said.
About 30 children between 21/2 and 5 years old attend the pre-school, Herson said. Children from age 5 up through 12th grade attend the Hebrew School, which has approximately 60 students.
The Chabad Center is one of two synagogues in the township.
A few important things to keep in mind about the Chabad Center:
1. It predominelty serves the people within Rockaway Township and not a bunch of outsiders.
2. It has only grown to 300 members after 18 years. That is basically infinitesmal growth compared to the 26 percent per year of CC.
3. How many members of cc were livinb in town last we counted? Was it not zero? Hmmm. And, after all the great will created by this guy, it is easy to predict that his RT based membership would remain at zero if he was permitted to move in.
3. On Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath, which occurs from sundown on Friday night to basically sundown on Saturday night, one does not drive to services as that is not permitted by the precepts of Halachic Law, so there is no traffic impact during services at the Chabad presently. Most of the people who would use the school would walk to it on non holy days anyway due to its proximity to its congregation.
4. Does anyone here in town really think that the construction of School for the Chabad has any significant Impact on RT? This story only made the papers to stir up trouble - - - and we all know it, Rob! Man, I wish that I was your boss, buddy. I wonder if I could afford to buy that damn rag?
