Princeton Township, NJ - Board Responds Positively to Chabad Proposal

Princeton Township, NJ - The Princeton Regional Planning Board heard a presentation from the Orthodox Jewish Chabad Lubavitch sect of Greater Mercer County regarding its plans to build a center and adjacent home for its rabbi.

Chabad President Mort Cohen and Rabbi Dovid Dubov presented the board with a concept plan. Chabad wants to construct two buildings on 18.4 acres it purchased along the north side of State Road in the township. The first would be a 5,400-square-foot, single-family home for Dubov and his wife, who have lived in the area for 14 years. The house would include a two- car garage, "oversized" dining rooms and living quarters to "accommodate congregational activities," and a swimming pool.  
Adjacent to the rabbi's home, Chabad plans to build a center to serve its entire organization in Mercer County.
The 10,600-square-foot, hexagonal-shaped center would include an 80-seat sanctuary that could be expandable to 280 seats, four classrooms, a kitchen and a few offices.

Religious law dictates that the home be near the center, Dubov said. "According to Jewish law, you're not supposed to drive anywhere on the Sabbath," he said.
There was little negative feed back from planners or the public regarding Chabad's presentation. But Dubov said he was satisfied with the presentation. "We're moving forward," he said. "We feel very positive about it."