Shul-Chabad Center to build a new facility
July 13th, 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
A proposal by the Shul-Chabad Center to build a new facility on land near downtown Boca Raton is drawing neighborhood opposition.
Most, if not all, foes seem to cite traffic and a lack of parking as reasons for objecting.
At least three residents in the NE Third Street and NE Fourth Street areas have written to the mayor and city manager, objecting to the proposed building planned for a 1.31-acre lot at 200 NE Third Court.
One of the objectors said that the facility would hold workshops, weddings and other services that would bring heavy traffic into the neighborhood and overwhelm the parking lot proposed at the new Chabad.
Another objecter said she “doesn’t want a synagogue, mainly because of traffic and a change in the neighborhood, from residential to commercial.” The letter writer said the presence of the Chabad would impact “the quality of life” in the neighborhood.
A third letter called the proposal “an outlandish undertaking.”
According to plans filed in City Hall and given the go-ahead by the Planning Advisory Committee, The Shul-Chabad Center plans to build in an area zoned for single-family use.
The application asks for a technical deviation to reduce the number of parking spaces. On the form, the synagogue cites that fact that the Chabad is Orthodox – and Orthodox Jews are prohibited from driving on the Sabbath or on Jewish holidays.
Plans say the facility will have 42 on-site parking spaces.
The two-story building measuring 22,455 square feet would be located to the east of Mizner Boulevard. Plans call for a 2,905 square foot social hall and 2,572 square foot lecture hall.
The next step for the proposal is to be heard by the Planning & Zoning Board. No date has been set for a hearing.
Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.
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