Date: Fri 25-Sep-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Adath-Israel-Synagogue

Full Text:

P&Z Reviews Plans For New Adath Israel Synagogue

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering a proposal from

The Congregation of Adath Israel to build a new synagogue and religious school

on Huntingtown Road.

P&Z members conducted a public hearing September 17 on the congregation's

request for a special exception to the zoning regulations to construct one

building that would contain a house of worship and a religious school.

The two-acre site in a R-2 zone lies on the east side of Huntingtown Road,

about 2,000 feet south of Huntingtown Road's intersection with Meadow Brook

Road.

As part of the development plan, about 3,000 cubic yards of earthen material

would be removed from the site. A buried 30,000-gallon water storage tank for

fire suppression would be installed. Off-road parking for 43 vehicles would be

provided. The congregation's two-acre site is in the vicinity of its existing

synagogue.

In a traffic report prepared for the applicant, traffic engineer Irving Chann

found that existing roads in the area can satisfactorily accommodate

anticipated traffic flow in terms of volume and safety. The presence of new

facilities would have no adverse effect on any nearby roadways, according to

Mr Chann.

Nearby property owners attending the public hearing posed questions on how the

presence of a new building would affect the neighborhood, including the

building's appearance and the effect the facility would have on local traffic.

In its application, the congregation states the presence of new facilities

would have no adverse effects on the value of adjoining properties.

After almost 20 years of planning, the congregation is taking steps to build a

larger house of worship.

Dr Henry Danziger, chairman of the building committee and president of the

synagogue, has said constructing a larger synagogue would be needed even if

the town's population was not growing so fast.

The congregation has about 100 members, including 60 families. The cost of the

new synagogue, not including furniture, is estimated at $700,000 to $750,000.

The land between the existing synagogue and the planned building is owned by a

member of the congregation and contains three rental houses.

The preliminary design indicates an 8,000-square-foot building that is

one-story high on the side facing Huntingtown Road, with a walk-out lower

level at the rear.

The new temple would be at least 50 percent larger than the existing temple,

Dr Danziger has said. About 1,500-square feet of the lower level would be left

unfinished to keep the initial building costs down.

Building plans depict a lobby, sanctuary, coat room, kitchen, six classrooms

and lavatories on the first floor. Two nurseries, three future classrooms,

lavatories, storage and furnace/mechanical rooms, and two large unfinished

areas for future expansion are shown on the lower level.

The congregation hopes to be ready for groundbreaking by the end of the year

or next spring.

Adath Israel remains the only country synagogue in western Connecticut,

according to Connecticut Jewish History, a 1991 publication of the Jewish

Historical Society of Greater Hartford.

In 1970, when Adath Israel celebrated its 50th anniversary, the congregation

numbered 35 families from Newtown, Monroe and Bridgeport. Unable to afford a

rabbi because of its small size, the congregation designated its members to

lead services on Friday evenings. On the Jewish High Holidays, a student from

the Jewish Theological Seminary conducted services. That changed as the

congregation grew. Rabbi Moshe Beton has been at Adath Israel since 1990.