By Kathianne Boniello
After more than a year of delays, a Bayside synagogue has won approval from the city Board of Standards and Appeals to replace its current one-family house across the street from the Bay Terrace Shopping Center with an approximately 8,700-square-foot facility.
The Chabad of Northeast Queens, at 26-06 213th St., first submitted plans for the new house of worship in the summer of 2001. Though Community Board 11 in Little Neck did not support the planned construction, the Board of Standards and Appeals gave its approval of the new structure Oct. 22.
Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky of the Chabad said any construction or fund-raising plans for the proposed Yankel Rosenbaum Center had been disrupted by the more than year-long battle with the Board of Standards and Appeals.
“We’re very gratified,” he said of the approval. Blesofsky said the typical cost for a project such as his would be between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
But the community opposing the new construction said it plans to continue to fight.
Plans filed with the city show the reconstructed synagogue would include a kitchen, offices, classrooms, several bathrooms and a sanctuary with room for 140 people. Because there would be no fixed seating in the synagogue, the plans show, the builder is not required to provide parking for the house of worship.
A group needs a variance when its planned construction exceeds the guidelines area’s zoning regulations. The Chabad needed and got approval for four variances for its proposed building’s height and its distance from the street, among other things.
Civic leader Frank Skala, president of the East Bayside Homeowners Association, said a community meeting was held Monday afternoon to discuss options for appealing the BSA decision.
The only way to intervene with a BSA decision is to go to court.
“We decided to appeal,” Skala said. “That will be done soon.”
City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who testified that the Chabad project was too large for the community, expressed disappointment in the BSA’s decision.
“I’m not surprised, unfortunately,” Avella said. “The BSA is giving away the city of New York — just giving it away.”
According to the BSA decision on the Chabad, the synagogue had made efforts to reduce the size of its building, changing the overall size from 9,241-square-feet to 8,789-square-feet. The BSA also said the Chabad had shortened the building from 35.5 feet high to 20.5 feet high.
“The Board finds that the proposed action will not alter the essential character of the surrounding neighborhood or impair the use or development of adjacent properties, nor will it be detrimental to the public welfare,” the BSA wrote in its 5-0 vote of approval for the Chabad.
The area on the south side of 26th Avenue, directly across from the retail center, is dominated by one-family homes and is the edge of a large residential area. Residents have been particularly concerned about increased traffic in the area since the nearby Bay Terrace Shopping Center began an expansion late last year.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
