a

"They are trying to build too large
yard variance and we'd be home free,"
a
structure
on an L-shaped plot of
said Don Paul Young of Bloomfield
land,"
said
Crow,
who works for the
Hills-based Young and Young
planning firm contracted by Royal
Architects,
which
designed
the
plans.
he state's largest Orthodox
Oak Township. "Procedurally, they
"The township told us if we had one
congregation has hit a zoning
can get around it, but they never
large lot instead of two parcels, a lot of
snag that it says will postpone
asked for variances."
our
trouble
would
go
away,"
said
Joseph
indefinitely a $1.8-million
Crow said YIOP has the right to
Greenberg, immediate past president of
expansion it had been hoping would be
Young Israel. "We're trying to
done in time for the High Holidays.
work with Mikvah Israel to let us
The 250-member Young Israel of
have the deed to the property
Oak Park ceremonially broke ground
through a long-term lease agree-
last September for an expansion that
),
ment or purchase.
would include a larger sanctuary, more
The mikva, heavily used, is
rooms for classes and meetings and an
itself
planning new quarters
improved social hall.
northeast
of Young Israel of Oak
But officials of Royal Oak Township
Park on the Taubman
— where the shul is actually
located — denied the request
The fie Id where Jewish Community
to build. Planners said the pro- constru ction on Campus.
"Our position is that if
posed building would violate a
the ne w mikva
the
mikva can do any-
is slated to begin
requirement that it be at least
thing
to help, as a corn-
this month.
65 feet from its neighbors.
munity
organization, we
The most significant
will," said Brian Herschfus, a
encroachment would have come on the
mikva board member and one of
southeast part of the property, where it
the negotiators in a potential deal.
would have abutted the rear of Mikvah
"We're waiting for them to get
Israel, a ritual bathinghouse.
back to us because they are in a
1. Mikvah Israel
So now the shut is looking at buying
more
precarious
position
than
we
Young Israel of Oak Park
2.
the mikva and consolidating the land.
New mikva
3.
That would "negate our need for front-
Part of the problem, according to
4. JPM JCC
Terry Crow of Farmington Hills-
5. Temple Emanu-El
Lonny Goldsmith can be reached at
based McKenna Associates Inc., is
6. Teitel Jewish Apartments
(248) 354-6060 ext 263, or by e-mail
the shape of the Young Israel lot.
7. Prentis Jewish Apartments
at: lgoldsmith@thejewishnews.com .

LONNY GOLDSMITH
Staff Writer

T

6/11
1999

6 Detroit Jewish News

appeal the ruling to the township's
Zoning Board of Appeals.
The building is 10 feet to the south
and 10 feet to the east of the Rue
Versailles Apartments' property line.
Sixty-five feet is required.
"I surmised that we would be
allowed 10 feet from the back of the
mikva because we were 10 feet on
everything else," said Young. Only
being 10 feet from the apartments is
allowed because the shul was built
before the existing regulations.
Crow explained that if the congre-
gation could combine its lot with the
mikva and demolish the mikva, "it
would be close to complying" because
there would be more leeway with
regard to the parking lot.
Greenberg said idea has been dis-
cussed.
"One idea presented was making a
mikva for men and kaylim (dining ves-
sels) under our roof and let Mikvah
Israel run it," he said. "It's a very far-
fetched option but not out of the
I>
/
realm of the possible.
Greenberg said planners estimate a
small mikva would cost $100,000.
Despite construction not being
under way as originally anticipated,
Greenberg said YIOP has some
momentum in its fund-raising.
"In the last few months, we've had

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