TOMS RIVER, N.J. — An application to construct an Orthodox Jewish Shul in Toms River’s North Dover section is scheduled to be heard Sept. 10 by the township Board of Adjustment.
Naftali Tzvi Shapiro has proposed building a house of worship on three lots totaling slightly more than two acres at 2030 Whitesville Road. A 1½-story home sits on one of the parcels. The home has already been used as Grande River Shtibel, a small informal shul run by Rabbi Shloime Schwartzberg.
The applicant is seeking a use variance to operate a house of worship in a residential zone, along with additional variances for the minimum buffer between a residence and the shul, the minimum screening buffer, the number of parking spaces and the number of loading spaces.
Houses of worship are a conditional use in the zone if they meet specified requirements, including a minimum of two acres, required setbacks from the roadway and a building that occupies no more than 15 percent of the lot.
Community leaders estimate there are about 2,500 Orthodox Jewish families in Toms River and more than 40 operating shuls in the township, most of them concentrated in North Dover. In 2024, the zoning board approved the first two Orthodox Jewish synagogues in the township, one on Stevens Road and another on Whitesville Road.
The Sept. 10 hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the municipal complex. Application documents may be reviewed through the board secretary during business hours. Residents may speak during the public comment portion of the meeting.
As reported by VINnews