Debate Continues Over Proposed Jewish Center

At the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board meeting Monday, town residents reiterated their concerns about the proposed Merrin Chabad Center on Nicolls Road north of Sycamore Drive.

The 33,000-square-foot facility would be used as a temple and a community center for Hebrew school, nursery school, and summer camp. The plan also includes an amphitheater.

At the hearing, resident Jennifer Sloat raised concerns about noise from the proposed pool and traffic safety. The plan includes a four-foot chain link fence around the pool area, but Sloat requested a higher fence. She also suggested a deceleration lane for the parking lot.

A letter read by Robert de Zafra and signed by Kara Hahn, president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, expressed the desire for a common entrance for both the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Merrin Chabad Center to limit the curb cuts along Nicolls Road.

He also asked the center to commit to not increasing its building footprint in the future. Currently, the proposed plan contains development on only 2.7 acres, leaving six acres untouched.

'We are not here to obstruct or try to overturn this application," he said.

Proponents of the project shot back, defending the plans as they currently stand.

A representative from the Chabad center argued that the board should not restrict future building on the site and shouldn't require the center to meet a higher standard of pool safety than anyone else.

Rabbi Chiam Grossman pledged to keep the needs of residents in mind during development.

"We are here to service the community," he said. "We want our neighbors to tell their Jewish neighbors, 'yes, they're great neighbors'...it would not make business sense for us to be a bad neighbor."

The board will vote on this project at its next meeting Sept. 13.