By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – A revised construction proposal from Chabad Jewish Center of BCC Inc. came before the planning board earlier this month.
On July 1, board members heard nearly three hours of testimony from representatives of the Jewish center about the construction of a house of worship and a rabbi’s residence at 816 Holmdel Road. The discussion will continue next month.
The applicant is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct a 15,053-squarefoot synagogue and a 5,129-square-foot parsonage on an approximately 10-acre lot in the town’s residential and agricultural zone. The plan also includes 117 parking spaces and related site improvements.
The site currently contains remnants of a residential property, including a pool with a deck, the remains of three sheds, and a small fenced area, all located in the southern portion of the lot. The remainder of the site consists of an agricultural field and wooded land. Wetlands are located throughout the northern and western portions of the site. A 20-foot right-of-way easement for ingress and egress is shown on the survey at the southern portion of the parcel, which includes a macadam driveway off Holmdel Road.
A team of professionals representing the Jewish center provided detailed testimonies, including engineer Andrew Comi of Kennedy Consulting Engineers, traffic engineer John Ray, and the project architect Melissa Rubb. Attorney Jennifer Krimko represented the applicant.
The house of worship is proposed to serve as a permanent facility for Chabad Jewish Center of Holmdel, which has been operating in various venues throughout the township for more than 15 years. The new facility would include a vestibule, lobby, sanctuary with 150 seats, social hall with 150 seats, library, office area with four offices, a single bathroom, and closet/storage space, a separate Hebrew school entrance and vestibule, four classrooms, two multi-stall restrooms, a warming kitchen, pantry, lounge, and additional storage rooms and mechanical closets. There is also a rear patio, accessible from the building through doors located in the social hall. No full kitchen facilities are proposed in the building.
The total seven-bedroom parsonage would consist of two floors and a developed basement and attic with a circular drive with access to Holmdel Road, a rear deck and paver patio, an attached two-car garage, and a 4-foot fall protection wall behind a retaining wall.
Board member Ron Emma raised concerns about the project’s scope, questioning whether the develop- ment aligned with the township’s long-term goals and Master Plan.
Township planner Kate Keller said current zoning per- mits houses of worship with specific conditions. “They are permitted in most, if not all, residential zones,” she said. “When the township committee adopted these ordinances, they intentionally created space for faith-based facilities.” Krimko noted that Chabad’s proposal complies with all local zoning conditions.
“They’re not at the zoning board getting a variance be- cause they meet all the conditions placed in the R40B zone,” she said. “The site is almost 10 acres, and the scale is very appropriate in the context of zoning.”
The current application includes several changes from previous iterations. The number of parsonage bedrooms has been reduced from 11 to 7, the commercial kitchen has been removed, and the site will now use a septic system instead of sewer hookup.
Several single-family residences are located directly adjacent to the proposed site. Atlantic Tree Experts tree service is located directly across Holmdel Road to the east and the former Nokia Crawford Hill facility – soon to be the Robert Wilson Park – is further uphill to the northeast.
The traffic engineer, John Ray, told the board the synagogue would not impact peak traffic periods on the county road. “The peak hours for the house of worship will not coincide with the peak hours on Holmdel Road,” he said, adding that the site was designed for safe vehicle access and minimal disruption.
According to Ray’s testimony, typical Saturday services would generate around 60 car trips. These trips would be distributed over approximately two hours and Ray noted that the driveway is designed to handle safe entry and exit during peak times.
Krimko further noted that during high-attendance periods like holidays, when traffic might be more congested, the Chabad center would likely hire local police to manage traffic flow and ensure safety, which she said was a standard practice for similar religious facilities in the county.
The application received mixed public comments. One Holmdel resident praised the proposal. “I have not been able to practice my faith in Holmdel. I have to leave my home,” she said. “This is a godsend for the Jewish community of Holmdel.”
New resident Sean Dickert said he welcomed the center. “If anything’s going to be next to you, a house of worship is my hope,” he said. “It builds a sense of community and involvement.”
Some, however, were less enthusiastic. “I think it’s an inappropriate place to put this facility,” said George Wright, a resident of Longview Drive, next to the proposed center. “It’s a very significant change to that portion of Holmdel Road.”
The article originally appeared in the July 24 – July 30, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
