Turkish American center
seeks to expand facilities
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Directors of the Turkish American Community Center want to expand their facilities on Route 33.
Attorney Gerald Sonnenblick of Freehold Township is expected to represent the directors of the community center when they appear before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Sept. 18 to seek several variances for the projects they want to construct.
"They’re putting in a mosque and they will have some recreation [facilities] behind it," Sonnenblick said, adding that the organization has owned the property since 1994. "It’s a long thin piece of land. We will need a lot of variances because of setbacks and other requirements. We’re going in for a use variance."
Zoning board members are expected to hear the applicant request a use variance in order to permit the construction of a 4,366-square-foot addition to the community center. According to a legal notice published in a local newspaper in advance of the hearing, the applicant will also seek approval to build a 20,521-square-foot mosque and recreation facilities that will include two swimming pools, changing areas and a soccer field.
The 7.33-acre property is in an SE-20 zone on Route 33, east of Woodward Road, near the Patriot Park Industrial and Warehousing Center.
"That’s a 20-acre zone for special economic development," Sonnenblick said. "There was a diner there originally."
The attorney said an office building replaced the diner and then the building was converted into a learning center for the Turkish-American community.
The applicant is seeking several variances including: a use variance to permit the 7.33-acre lot where a minimum of 20 acres is required; a 200-foot front yard width, where 300 feet are required; a 200-foot frontage, where 800 feet are required; a 197-foot front yard setback, where 200 feet are required; and 57-foot and 23-foot side yard setbacks, where 100 feet setbacks are required; a 1.36-acre improvable area, where 10 acres are required. All of these requests are for the continued use of pre-existing conditions.
Additionally, several other variances are being requested including: parking stall size, parking lot aisle width and driveway setbacks.
The date for the hearing was initially set for Sept. 4. It is now expected that the zoning board will begin hearing the application Sept. 18.