On Wednesday night (July 8), the Lower Merion Commissioners voted for a change in the zoning code which will require ground-floor tenants on Bala Avenue, between Union Avenue and Montgomery Avenue, to devote at least 80% of their space to “commercial use.” The ordinance does not define “commercial use.”
Bala Chabad recently bought a property on the part of Bala Avenue where the ordinance prohibits them from using the first floor as part of their synagogue. Many members of Chabad have expressed disappointment with the commissioners for passing the ordinance in its current form.
Commissioner Gilda Kramer noted that, “There are already at least six synagogoues in our nearby Merion Cynwyd Business District.” She pointed out that Chabad bought its current building knowing that it was not authorized under current zoning. She likened Chabad’s purchase of the building to “when residents in our township buld additions to their homes in violation of our zoning requirements, and come to us for permission to allow the conforming addition, after the fact.”
Commissioner Kramer offered suggestions for what she considers appropriate uses for Bala Chabad, includidng, a Judaica shop, a coffee shop, an art gallery and an indoor playground for young children.
Here’s a concept that Chabad might want to consider for their first floor. It would be hard to imagine how one could argue that this would not conform to the commissioners’ requirement of a “commercial space.”
Leave a Reply