New Rochelle - Synagogue Wins Court Cases

New Rochelle - Young Israel of New Rochelle's plan for a larger synagogue has received a series of victories from a state appellate court, which upheld decisions by the city's planning and zoning boards.
Opponents of the new synagogue, fearing construction dust at the North Avenue site and traffic when it opens, argued in four cases that the boards improperly approved the project and extended time limits on its variances, or zoning-code exceptions.
A panel of judges ruled that the city boards did act properly and got the congregation to amend its plans in good faith. In one of the four decisions reached, the judges wrote that the zoning board's action "did not improperly elevate the religious concerns of the applicant over the public health, safety, and welfare."
"We're extremely pleased that this long legal saga appears to be at an end," said Meyer Koplow, an attorney and building committee chairman for the congregation.