Posted By  richards on December 3, 2014    
				
				        Published on December 3rd, 2014 | by Judie        Jacobson      
    GREENWICH  Greenwich Reform Synagogue (GRS), a Reform Jewish    congregation serving the Greenwich community for over 35 years,    was given unanimous approval by the Town of Greenwich Planning    & Zoning Commission (P&Z) Nov. 25 for its plan to build    a new synagogue in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. The    P&Z vote paves the way for construction of only the second    purpose-built synagogue in the towns 374-year history.  
    We are delighted with the approval, and excited to move on the    process of creating our new home, said Wendy Schreiber,    Co-President of the Board of GRS. The building will serve as a    wonderful home for the congregation, and we believe one that    will ultimately be a positive for the neighborhood.  
    GRS will still have to appear before the Architectural Review    Committee (ARC) to iron out a few remaining issues, but P&Z    acknowledged that those concerns are mild and not    insurmountable.  
    Approval for the planned 12,262-square-foot building on 1.75    acres on Orchard Street came after a rigorous process with more    than a dozen public meetings with the Inland Wetlands &    Watercourses Agency, the P&Z Board of Appeals, P&Z, and    the ARC. The final site plan included numerous modifications    based on requests by those entities and by neighbors of the    site. The planned synagogue will include a sanctuary, social    hall, classrooms, and offices.  
    We went to great lengths to listen to everyones point of view    and to address the concerns our neighbors had, said Marc    Abrams, Co-President of the Board of GRS. Every reasonable    request was included in the final site plan, and the result    will be a modest and attractive building that will fit well    with the neighborhood.  
    Separately, a settlement agreement between the Town of    Greenwich and Greenwich Reform Synagogue, relating to a federal    lawsuit filed by GRS over a ruling by the Zoning Board of    Appeals, was confirmed by a Federal judge in New Haven on    Monday, Nov. 24. In her ruling, Federal District of Connecticut    Judge Honorable Janet C. Hall said that the agreement was    fair, just and in the public interest. The judge also    acknowledged that, based on town zoning laws, GRS was entitled    to build a structure of up to 24,000 square feet, almost twice    the size of the proposed and now approved building in the site    plan.  
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Greenwich synagogue receives approval for new building
				
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