An attorney representing a five-unit apartment house in front of Chabad Ridgefield asked the Planning and Zoning Commission March 15 to deny a special permit that would allow Rabbi Sholom Deitsch to operate a religious education and assembly center at his rented two-family house at 27R West Lane, in a residential zone.
The religious center will attract more than 10 adults for Saturday prayers and 10 to 20 children on Sunday mornings for religious education, Deitsch says in his permit request, said the attorney, Ward Mazzucco, representing 27 West Lane LLC.
“You won’t be able to enforce it. It will be inconvenient to send [the zoning enforcement officer] there on weekend mornings,” Mazzucco said.
Mazzucco also claimed that drivers using the unpaved parking area at the two-family home, which is the rear lot of the property he represents, will become confused and cars will spill over onto the driveway that both properties share.
Deitsch said Ridgefield has a small minority Jewish population and there is no way his gathering could grow as Mazzucco suggested. The gathering has been steady at about 10 people each Saturday morning for about 10 years, he said.
“I wish there were more Jewish people in Ridgefield to help us grow, but we are a small minority in this town,” the rabbi said.
He said his quiet Saturday morning gatherings “will never become the temple of the world,” referring to busy places of worship, because he lives in the building, too, with his family and wants only a small place to gather. The parking lot is not confusing at all and his congregants are familiar with what they have to do, he said, and he wants to be a good neighbor. The concerns about parking are overblown, because many times Jewish faithful walk to Saturday morning services, Deitsch said.
If it grew beyond his expectations, he would look for another place or apply for a different permit, he said.
Also, Dietsch said, his congregants sometimes use the parking lot of the First Congregational Church across the street.
Other speakers
Chris Bennett, a spokesman for the Congregational Church, said the church has allowed parking on church property but the needs of the church come first. Peter and Kathleen Wolfel, of 31 West Lane, asked in a letter that a fence be continued along the entire property line they share.
The rabbi said he would comply and build the fence.
Neighbor Reed Whipple, a local builder, asked for screening between his property and the rabbi’s house and asked the commissioners to apply the same strict standards he is expected to meet when he has a project up for approval before them.
Whipple asked what was going on at the Deitsch residence, and said he had never been informed of the request for a special permit.
“You see, that shows how quiet our gathering is. This neighbor of ours did not even know we were there,” Deitsch said.
Deitsch has been having gatherings since last summer and applied for permission following neighbors’ concerns over the use.
The public hearing was continued to April 8, so the applicant has time to provide a site plan and other details, including a report from the fire marshal and building department.
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