The property at 126 Stevens Road, Toms River, proposed for conversion to a house of worship. (Credit: Google Maps)
A property owner in Toms River is seeking permission from the township’s zoning board to convert a single-family home off Whitesville Road into a shul (sometimes referred to as a Synagogue) with a 23,000 square foot parking lot, necessitating a conditional use variance.
The property, located at 162 Stevens Road, about two houses in from the intersection of Whitesville Road, is 1.5 stories and 2,873 square feet in area. It is located within the Rural Residential Zone and is currently allowed to be used as a single-family dwelling. According to real estate records, the property was last sold in 2021 for $700,000. The home had been listed as a three bedroom, four bathroom home.
The applicant, Dov Roth, will also seek board approval to construct a 23,400 square foot asphalt parking lot and associated site improvements.
The congregation must also request a conditional use variance – among several others – for the proposed work on the property. A conditional use variance is required when a certain use of a property – such as a house of worship – is allowed in a zone only if certain conditions are met. In this case, according to a legal notice filed by local attorney Robert C. Shea, deviates from the conditions under the township’s zoning ordinance. Cases which call for conditional use variances require a supermajority of board members voting in favor of an application in order for it to pass.
In addition to the use variance, the owner is seeking variances for minimum lot width (the applicant is proposing a lot width of 150 feet, whereas 200 feet is required); side yard setback (the applicant is proposing a minimum side yard setback of 35.2 feet on the east side of the property and 41 feet on the western side of the property, whereas 50 feet is required); and an accessory structure side yard variance (the applicant is proposing an accessory structure minimum side yard setback of 22 feet on the western side of the property where 30 feet is required).
The property at 126 Stevens Road, Toms River, proposed for conversion to a house of worship. (Credit: Google Maps)
Design waivers are being sought for for the boundaries, nature, extent and acreage of wooded areas, swamps, bogs, ponds, and riparian zones within the site and the surrounding 200-foot area.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment will consider the application at its May 23, 2024 hearing, which begins at 6:30 p.m at the township municipal complex.
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