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Edison,NJ Council opposes Hindu temple

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HinduThought, "Ashok Chowgule" <ashokvc@c...>

wrote:

Edison council opposes proposed Hindu temple

Author: Jerry Barca

Publication: Courier News

March 11, 2004

URL: http://www.c-n.com/news/c-n/story/0,2111,923126,00.html

 

 

 

The Township Council has sided with residents who fear a proposed

Hindu

temple in neighboring South Plainfield would disrupt their quiet

neighborhood.

 

 

 

On Wednesday night, council members cited traffic concerns, not

religious denomination, in adopting a resolution in opposition to the

proposed one- story, 14,000-square-foot temple on the former Coastal

Oil

site.

 

 

 

"This particular development can negatively impact, quite seriously,

a

neighborhood in Edison," said Councilman Anthony Massaro.

 

 

 

The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization is seeking to

build

the temple on an area zoned for light industrial use. While the

entire

building would sit in South Plainfield, the lone access to the 6.7-

acre

plot is through Edison, namely Fleet Avenue. Members of the

congregation

would have to traverse Universal Avenue or Nevsky Street to reach the

closest major thoroughfare, Park Avenue.

 

 

 

Tonight, the public will have a chance to speak about the

application at

an 8 p.m. zoning board meeting in South Plainfield Borough Hall.

 

 

 

Rick Brown, Edison township engineer, is slated to voice the

governing

body's concerns at the meeting.

 

 

 

Irene Wall, a Fleet Avenue resident, has led her neighborhood's

fight to

stop the proposed temple from being built.

 

 

 

"Our area is not conducive to this kind of development," said Wall,

who

lobbied the Edison council for support earlier this week.

 

 

 

Edison residents next to the proposed site fear cars traveling to and

from the temple will disrupt their quiet neighborhood of a half-dozen

dead-end streets with Fleet Avenue as the only outlet.

 

 

 

South Plainfield police have questioned whether Nevsky Street and

Fleet

and Universal avenues could handle the increased number of motorists

the

temple would yield, according to a Jan. 28 letter Sgt. Kevin

Murtagh, of

the traffic safety unit, sent to the zoning board.

 

 

 

But a traffic study performed on behalf of the developer by Medina

Consultants of Princeton stated the increased traffic from the temple

would not negatively affect Edison or South Plainfield.

 

 

 

"A place of worship, as I've stated before, is probably the best use

for

the site compared to what it is zoned for," said Dhruval Shah,

director

of the Swaminarayan Satsang's Central New Jersey chapter.

 

 

 

The area is zoned for light industrial use, requiring a variance for

the

temple to be built.

 

 

 

The Hindu group currently holds services in the Knights of Columbus

building in the Iselin section of Woodbridge. The congregation of 150

people is expected to reach 250. The congregation wants to build the

temple so it can have its own place to worship.

 

 

Shah believes zoning law allows the temple to be built. If his group

is

denied by the zoning board, Shah said an appeal will be filed.

--- End forwarded message ---

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