Following Outcry From Neighbors & Elected Officials, CB 12 Members Vote To Deny Yeshiva’s Bid To Build Larger School

Following an outcry of anger from neighbors and stamps of disapproval from local elected officials, Community Board 12 members on Monday denied an Orthodox Jewish school’s bid for a variance at 182 Minna Street that would allow the owner to build far taller than the current zoning allows.

Congregation and Yeshiva Machzikei Hadas, which owns the property at 182 Minna Street, between 36th Street and Chester Avenue, and currently runs a school at 695 6th Avenue in South Slope, aims to open a school for 10th through 12th grade students on Minna Street, which it has the as-of-right to do — meaning it can go ahead and open it without permission from the city. However, Yeshiva Machzikei Hadas wants to increase the school’s height from 30 to 60 feet, increase the total size of the school from 12,000 square feet — which is what the zoning currently allows for — to 17,000 square feet, and waive setback requirements. Such a request requires the city to approve a variance — but before the city takes a look at it, the proposal must go before Community Board 12.

Therefore, CB 12’s variance committee held a public hearing at Borough Park’s Amico Senior Center (5901 13th Avenue) on the controversial variance Monday night, and the event drew a huge crowd of neighbors — all of whom spoke vehemently against the proposal, saying that Minna Street is a narrow residential street that cannot accommodate an influx of hundreds of students, as well as the amount of traffic that could stem from the school.

Lily Liang, who has lived on Minna Street for about 25 years, said she is “terrified that my child is going to grow up on such a busy street with heavy traffic.”

While Jay Goldstein, the attorney representing the owner, said the school does not plan to use buses to drop students off at school, Lily and other neighbors stressed they fear an influx of parents dropping children off at school.

“This is a tiny, narrow street,” said Lucy Cederholm, who also lives on Minna Street. “I can’t imagine 250 people walking to and from schools — there’s no room for that many people on that street… It physically cannot accommodate that many people.”

Throughout the public hearing, people cheered loudly for neighbors who spoke about their anger over the proposal, and several times individuals shouted that the owner should withdraw his variance application.

“There’s no desire on the part of the yeshiva to come in and automatically enlarge their building,” Goldstein said of the property that the yeshiva purchased in April 2014 for $990,0000. ” … The yeshiva wants to come in and plant roots in the community, and wants to continue being a good neighbor.”

“If they want to be a good neighbor, they should withdraw the application!” one neighbor yelled, eliciting cheers of approval from the crowd.

Community resident Mike Fox said that the “very act of asking for this variance is not the act of a good neighbor — it’s the act of a bad neighbor.”

In addition to concerns regarding the influx of students and traffic, a number of neighbors pointed out that the tall building would not aesthetically mesh with the rest of the street that’s dominated by one- and two-story family residences.

“It wouldn’t be compatible with the surrounding homes,” said Donald Burns, a certified planner from the neighborhood. “… That building would be a tower you could see from [Green-Wood Cemetery].”

Meanwhile, neighbor Bridget Elder said she was also concerned that the approval of such a variance could set a precedent in the neighborhood, allowing tall buildings to be built in residential area.

Other neighbors said they were particularly fearful that the emergence of a large school would cause the value of their homes to plummet.

“This scares me to death,” said Joan Pastore, a neighbor and director of the Amico Senior Center. “I don’t want to see the value of my house go down. It’s a beautiful, historic area, and it doesn’t deserve for this to happen to it.”

Elected officials too disapproved of the variance, including Councilman Brad Lander, who attended Monday’s hearing, and Assemblyman Jim Brennan, who was represented at the meeting by MaryKay Seery.

“Let’s be clear — whether this were a mosque or a public school or a charter school, I don’t think this variance would be appropriate,” Lander said. “This is a very narrow block with one- and two-family homes.”

Following a statement from Brennan that urged board members to vote against the variance, the board voted on a motion that stated the “variance will be a hardship on the community” and should be denied. Ten members voted to approve the motion, and four abstained.

Goldstein, the owner’s attorney, said he would take the concerns voiced at the hearing back to his client.

“I appreciate everyone’s time here,” Goldstein said.

The school’s bid for a variance will now go to the full board at CB 12’s next general meeting, which will be held Tuesday, June 23 at 7pm at the Amico Senior Center. After all of CB 12 votes on the matter, the application will go to the city Board of Standards and Appeals.