Proposed Chai Center of Millburn-Short Hills Discussed at Township Committee & Planning Board Meetings

MILLBURN, NJ — On Tuesday, September 17, several residents expressed their concern about the proposed Chai Center that applied to  be built on the corner of Parsonage Hill Road and Old Short Hills Road where an old house was demolished. It’s a residential neighborhood, and people who live nearby are worried about traffic, light pollution, parking overflow, drainage and the removal of trees.

Evan Frankel spoke at both meetings. During the township committee meeting he stated, “For the last 20 years, my family and I have lived less than 20 feet from the proposed site for the new Chai Center for Living Judaism.” He continued, “This is not about religion. I am a Jew. I had a Bar Mitzvah 40 years ago, and I've walked this journey of faith very proudly. My opposition to the Chai Center's proposed 21,027 square foot house of worship with 95 parking spaces and three levels of gathering spaces has absolutely nothing to do with religion. This isn't about religion, it's about balance.”

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Frankel talked about the eight classrooms and daycare for 50 students and stated, “It's a campus that's being proposed on a road that is already busy, already crowded and under strain.” He called Short Hills Road one of the most congested roadways in Millburn. Frankel noted that a building with many people arriving and leaving would affect their daily lives and could affect property value.

Several other Jewish and non-Jewish residents echoed Frankel’s concern about traffic and said the issue is about “balance, not religion.”

Civil Engineer John Ferrante, Owner of E2 Project Management LLC, provided an overview of the Chai Center plans during the Planning Board meeting on September 18. He began by explaining that the property is zoned residential R3. They don’t need any variances or design waivers for the project, and their plans meet all township requirements for the application. He also mentioned that they have submitted an application to the county because Essex County needs to approve the center as it owns both Old Short Hills and Parsonage Hill Roads.

Ferrante described the project to the attendees who filled the room. He shared that his firm had a traffic study commissioned for the center. He mentioned that the architect, landscape architect, traffic expert and others will be testifying in future meetings. Ferrante said that there will be an upper parking lot in the rear with 95 spots and EV chargers. A lower-tier parking lot will have 10 spaces.

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Regarding trees, they will need to remove 63 for the parking lots and the township laws require them to plant 278, but they want to plant 128 because the team feels that 278 won’t fit. Ferrante said that they can try to plant more than 128, but they don’t want the trees to grow into each other. The firm will pay into the tree fund the difference between how many they remove and the number that they plant.

The lot size is 3.32 acres, and the township allows the building to take up a maximum of 25% of the property, but the center would only occupy 14.53%. According to Ferrante, the building is two stories and 32 feet high. The firm has created a drainage easement for the property.

He mentioned a 15 square foot sign. Ferrante assured residents that 90% of the lights will be off when the center closes at night, and only 10% would be left on for security purposes.

Some of the public questions and comments included Christine Best wondering if the historic property can be used for a religious institution. Ferrante answered that R3 residential zoning allows “conditional principal use.” Jessica Margolis asking where overflow parking would be. Ferrante said that there should be enough parking according to their research.

Andrew Kapp inquired if the old wooden fence would be removed (they hadn’t planned to) and where the run-off precipitation will flow to. Ferrante commented that when the engineers researched and created the drainage plan, part of the process is to determine if neighboring properties will be affected.

Jean Pasternak asked if underground parking was considered. It wasn’t.

Richard Lincer inquired if the firm had done a storm water analysis because precipitation flows to his home on Brooklawn. He feared that pooling of water would become a “breeding ground for mosquitos.” Ferrante replied that the drainage plan will control the run-off.

Ted Kuntz asked what will be on the second floor. The answer is classrooms. He asked if 21 light poles would create light pollution. The architect will discuss that and other topics in detail, but Ferrante reported that the light poles are strategically placed on the property so light won’t spill into neighbor’s yards.

The next planning board meeting is October 16, which is a Jewish holiday. The application will be discussed again during the November 6 meeting.

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