Chinmaya Mission attempts to strike a deal with township with a new plan, which would reduce the amount of floor area on the site.
By: Brian Shappell
A Hindu spiritual organization seeking approval to build a house of worship in west Cranbury has scaled down its plan in an attempt to strike a compromise with the township.
Vish Murthy, a spokesman for the mission, said Tuesday the mission is working on modifying its plans for a temple and classrooms on a 7-acre parcel on Cranbury Neck Road. The plan would reduce the amount of floor area on the site in an attempt to address concerns raised by township officials about the temple’s size.
Township leaders have said the size and location of the proposed Chinmaya Mission and Ashram were inappropriate, because Cranbury Neck Road is in the agricultural, A-100 Zone. The township has been seeking to preserve the zone.
Meanwhile, the township could vote Monday on an ordinance restricting the density of development on houses of worship in the zone that mission officials said would make it impossible for the mission to receive approval with its current plan.
The mission, a regional, Hindu spiritual organization, plans to convert 8,950 square feet of existing buildings into classrooms and a clergy residence and build a 4,080-square-foot temple on the 7-acre Tantum farm. The proposal also calls for 209 parking spaces.
“On Dec. 11, we hope we’re all there with happy faces; hopefully the committee won’t have to pass any ordinances,” Mr. Murthy said. “The ordinance is so severely restrictive.”
Mayor Alan Danser did not rule out the possibility that the Township Committee might table the ordinance a second time to permit continued negotiations.
“It’s fair to say it will be voted on eventually; but it is a possibility that it can be carried for another two weeks to see if it will help the situation,” he said.
Mayor Danser said it is an “obvious possibility” that if the mission scales down its temple, the committee would hold off on the ordinance until after the mission is granted planning board approval.
“Anything they are willing to do to reduce the intensity is a step in the right direction in moving toward a compromise,” Mayor Danser said. “I hope they are open-minded about considering alternative sites.”
Township attorney Bill Moran said is was unlikely that a meeting between township officials, members of the mission and attorneys from both sides would happen before Monday.
The proposed ordinance would require houses of worship to meet the same requirements as other development in the zone.
While the mission’s application meets current requirements, it would exceed the new standards in categories such as floor area requirements and maximum impervious coverage.
Mr. Murthy said it is unlikely the mission will select a new site, because the group has already spent a lot of money to develop the plans for the current site, and members want to honor their land purchase deal with current owner Gordon Tantum.