At Friday’s meeting, the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals granted both a special permit and variances, with conditions, to the Jewish Center of the Hamptons to construct a pavilion for outdoor services and to install security planters along their front property line. The center is located at 44 Woods Lane, in a residential zone, and has served the Jewish community since the late 1980s.
The approval comes a year and a half after plans were first drawn up, a saga that included three hearings before the board, a technical fight over acoustics with neighbors along Borden Lane, and a charge of antisemitism leveled by Rabbi Josh Franklin against another neighbor to the south, who wrote a letter opposing the project. The Z.B.A. also received many letters from congregants in support of the project.
The pavilion was designed by Richard Dattner of Dattner Architects and will connect to the Norman Jaffe-designed sanctuary via a covered walkway.
The residents of Borden Lane, which borders the Jewish Center property to the north, were concerned mostly about noise emanating from the open-air pavilion. However, as the application moved through board meetings, a compromise was reached, with the Jewish Center agreeing to fewer proposed speakers, the reconfiguration of the structure to lessen sound impacts, and an agreement regarding maximum decibel levels.
Additionally, according to the Z.B.A. determination signed on Monday by James McMullan, the vice chairman of the board, the Jewish Center must apply to the village for a special permit for any non-religious event or gathering involving the pavilion, including weddings, bat mitzvahs, and bar mitzvahs. They have also promised to notify neighbors whenever they are applying for a special permit application for pavilion gatherings.
“We believe this project will be a great addition, enriching our worship experience, and offering us opportunities to connect with the beauty of nature while we gather,” said Rabbi Josh Franklin, in a text this week. “This will be an exciting addition not just for us, but all of East Hampton.” Over the course of the application process, he had consistently pushed back on the notion that the pavilion would be used for noisy events.
The Z.B.A. also conditioned its approval on the implementation of both a planting and a lighting plan. New lighting fixtures will be dark-sky compliant, while old fixtures will be retrofitted to bring them into compliance.
A variance of 100 percent, or 70 feet, was granted for the security planters, which were provided and paid for by the United States Department of Homeland Security. They will be placed on the property line along Woods Lane, though they will be screened from view.
A few steps remain before construction can begin, however. According to Alex Balsam, the attorney for the Jewish Center, final approval is still required from the village’s Design Review Board, which, so far, has conducted only a preliminary review. If approved by the D.R.B., the center can apply for a building permit.
