Chai Center Hearing Focuses on Sanctuary Seating

Questions abounded on how many people could fit into certain spaces, including the sanctuary, at the proposed Chai Center Monday night.

It was the fourth hearing on the application before the Zoning Board of Adjustment to construct a new synagogue at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Old Short Hills Road. A fifth hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

The proposal for a 16,350-square-foot structure containing a 144-seat synagogue, library, social room, and several multi-purpose rooms on 1.8 acres of residential property has been met with strong opposition from The Concerned Neighborhood Association of Millburn Township, also known as Save Millburn. The building would replace two single-family homes currently on the adjacent lots. One of the requested variances is for a conditional use, which requires three acres of land.

Larry Appel, architect for the Chai Center, was peppered with questions from both the board and the attorneys representing the opposing neighbors about how many people could fit into the sanctuary and the social hall. Appel said the intention is to not use any two spaces, including the sanctuary and social hall, at the same time. The social hall could be used as an overflow area, he said, but that is not the intent.

A board member questioned if 600 people could fit inside the social hall based on its size, but Appel said it seemed excessive. He said it would be closer to 300. Plus in the sanctuary, there would be only enough space for the 144 fixed seats. But the code is to allow seven square feet for each person in a room, and the sanctuary would be 1,900 square feet. But Appel said there would need to be space for the religious pieces of a sanctuary, so if there was no fixed seating there would be enough space for about 200 seats.

There also was some question about the 144 seats and if there were really 148 seats in the sanctuary. The 144 seats does not include the four seats at the front of the sanctuary. Appel said those seats are for those participating in the service. One would be for the clergy, but the others would be redundant for people coming forward during the service to participate.

In talking about the design of the building, Appel said the point was to match the exterior of the building to the surrounding neighborhood with the siding and the sloping roofs.

The building may seem large, he said, but its footprint wouldn't be much larger than what exists today with the houses on the property. The footprint of the new building would be 633 square feet larger. "That's a garage," he said.

Appel said it would have been too difficult to add onto the current building because the new facility needs to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act. The current house is raised off the ground and has smaller doors. Plus it's "not in great shape," he said.

There also was a continued debate over the Chai Center's membership list. The Chai Center's planners provided a redacted list that had 77 line items representing that number of families.

But JohnLamb, one of the attorneys for the neighbors opposing the project, requested the board's chairman issue a subpoena for other membership lists represented during testimony. One list was stated to have a "couple thousand" people and another had 1,800 people, he said. It also would be important to see the communities from which those people come.

It's important to gauge the intensity of the use of the project, he said. The sanctuary is increasing from 1,300 square feet to 144 seats in a 1,900 square foot room, which does not include a spillover area in the social hall, he said. He questioned by how much the use of the facility could grow over time.

Joseph Steinberg, board chairman, said he would not apply for a subpoena for the lists because he did not deem it important enough to go through the court process. Lamb, though, said he wouldn't need to apply with the courts, but Steinberg did not change his ruling.

The board only partially waived an environmental impact statement, citing how certain environmental factors need to be addressed. Those issues include drainage and stormwater. Steinberg said there is a culvert and swale on the property that should be addressed. The environmental engineer would also be allowed to address other issues that may be relevant to the site.