The Jackson Zoning Board on Wednesday night rejected an amended proposal from Rabbi Matzliach’s shul on Ashford Road to build an extension that would make their garage an area where it is legal to have minyanim.
While a private home is legally allowed to host minyanim, the Zoning Board ruled back in May that the Matzliach’s detached garage, where minyanim are held, is not permitted to host prayers. The applicants pushed back against the claim that the garage is separate from their home, insisting that family members often use it as part of their home, but to no avail.
In a new proposal posed to the Board last night, the Matzliach’s requested to build an extension to the garage for additional family living space. However, the Board members said that the new application was “inconsistent” with their previous application and testimony, and therefore denied approving it.
When questioned by the Board, they claimed that the use would only be for their family.
However, the neighbors stated that it’s already used for a shul.
The Board found their new testimony inconsistent with their previous testimony as well as with the neighbors testimony and therefore they denied the application.
I think that they should have just been more open with what’s really going on there. The way they went about this was very sneaky, and the Board did not fall for their games.