Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church (Credit: OLPH)
A Toms River church is seeking to expand its home on Church Road, and will present its application to the township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment next month.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church, located at 1937 Church Road, has proposed the construction of a new church building at the site. The church’s website provides a rendering of the anticipated building, as attached to this article.
According to planning documents, the new church would be connected to the existing building on the site. While largely an expansion of the current use as a house of worship, the church is required to submit a major site plan for approval to the board, and obtain a use variance, which requires a supermajority of board members approving the application. There are several minor “bulk” variances requested as well, including for a front yard setback of 60.5 ft. where 80 ft. is required, a minimum side yard setback of 47.5 ft. where 50 ft. is required, maximum lot coverage variance of 19.6 percent where 10 percent is the maximum and a variance for 98 onsite parking spaces where 172 onsite spaces are normally required.
The existing house of worship was approved in 1986 and included the Parish Center, rectory, garage and parking lot. A second phase included a new church addition to the front of the existing building. When first approved, the church met all of the conditions required in its underlying zone, however zoning laws have been modified since the 1980s and a new set of approvals are required.
The church’s application will be heard at the board’s Sept. 8, 2022 meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the township municipal complex.
