MANCHESTER – Members of the township Zoning Board unanimously voted against the conversion of a residential home that would have served as a mikvah, which is a Jewish ritual bath, during the latest Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting.
This proposal has been mentioned during recent Township Council meetings and discussed in length during Planning Board and Zoning Board meetings. After months of discussion and debate, a decision was made.
Members of the township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously denied the application to convert a residential home into a mikvah within the Pine Lake Park section of the township during their latest meeting.
A mikvah is described as a sacred bath used in Judaism for various religious purposes of purification and spiritual renewal.
The proposal was filed by Congregation Mikvah of Pine Lake Park.
However, due to that property being located within a residential zone, that type of use was not allowed and the applicant had to secure a D(1) use variance, along with several bulk variances to convert the single-family home located at 1209 9th Avenue.
During several public hearings held at the Manchester Township High School, the applicant’s representatives argued that a mikvah was a religious necessity and qualifies as an inherently beneficial use under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
The law restricts how governing bodies can regulate religious exercise through actions of zoning.
After several months of deliberation that included public comments and discussions, Board members voted against granting the variances requested by the congregation.
The applicant has the option to appeal the Board’s denial and pursue further legal action of their application. It is unknown at this time as to whether the applicant will appeal this decision or pursue any further action concerning it.
Several residents present at the last meeting expressed approval of the Board’s decision to deny this application noting that there were several commercial properties within Manchester that were available for the mikvah.
Residents also pointed out that instead of requesting a conversion of use the applicant could instead build the mikvah within an area of their own synagogue which is designated as a nonprofit site.
Some residents expressed that a home in a residential neighborhood just wasn’t the best place for such a facility and that a home shouldn’t be converted into a non-tax paying location.
