Temple plans to seek site plan approval from Hopewell Township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment on Feb. 1
By John Tredrea
The Har Sinai Temple is a step closer in its process of moving to Hopewell Township from the Trenton location it has occupied since 1929.
In preparation for its upcoming move to 2411 Route 31 in southern Hopewell Township, Har Sinai Temple recently listed its Trenton building on Bellevue Avenue for sale.
Har Sinai plans to move to a 9-acre site on Route 31, just south of the Pennington Circle. The site is on the southbound side of the highway, near the signalized Denow Road intersection.
"The temple has had a presence in Trenton since 1857, making it the oldest Jewish institution in central New Jersey," Har Sinai spokeswoman Laura Reiser said Friday.
The plans are that an existing office building on the property will be converted to a new religious school and a chapel multipurpose room initially will be added. A sanctuary and social hall will ultimately be part of the finished project, Ms. Reiser said.
The move to Hopewell Township is anticipated to occur in the fall of 2006. Har Sinai is scheduled to seek site plan approval for the project from the township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment on Feb. 1, Har Sinai President Marilyn Weinstein said Tuesday.
Ms. Reiser said Har Sinai draws congregants from Bucks County, Pa., as well as Mercer County in this state. The current location in Trenton consists of a sanctuary, classrooms, a social hall and administrative offices.
The synagogue has retained the firm of John Simone Realty, a real estate broker in Ewing, to represent its interests in the sale of the Bellevue Avenue site. In the interim, the sanctuary, school and offices will remain at their current locations.