by Frank Schroth

There is no P&S, no site plan, nor any architectural renderings yet, but there was swift neighborhood opposition to a proposed gift of ~1 acre of land by Marvin and Andrea Gordon that could serve as the site of a new synagogue for Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills. At the October 3rd meeting of the Board of Selectmen, the Cronin room was crowded by residents of Lodge Street who came to express their disapproval of the proposal.

The cart was put before the horse in that the objections to the proposal were given during Citizen Speak before the proposal itself had been described. Approximately 10 residents of Lodge Street spoke, and their comments were consistent. Their chief concerns and objections to the construction of the Temple are safety and traffic and possible impact to property values.Bill Sutton spoke first. His comments were largely echoed by the subsequent speakers. He said that the street has ~22 homes and 20 children who play on the street. The large trucks that would be traveling through the neighborhood during construction could have a “devastating impact on the street and possibly property values . . . I think I speak for all of us,” Mr. Sutton said. Speakers noted that Lodge Street traffic is already problematic as it has become a cut through for rush-hour traffic. The neighbors presented a petition with 40 signatures. The tone of some remarks were trenchant. James O’Donoghue stated that “Charity starts at home.  .  . the synagogue has to respect our wishes .  .  . You don’t want enemies [of the neighbors] .  .  . [if you] jam this down our throats we won’t get over it for a long, long time.”

Another concern was with drainage. Construction of the temple could further aggravate the existing problem with drainage. It was also suggested to have the access off of Gun Hill Street rather than Lodge Street.

After Citizen Speak, Mr. Gordon described what is being considered. He was joined at the table by Ronit Voigt, President of Congregation Beth Shalom, Deborah Felton, and Ada Rosmarin, both members of the congregation. Mr. Gordon is proposing to gift between 1.5 and 1.8 acres to the congregation, has been seeking a new home for the past three years. They sold their synagogue on Blue Hill Parkway as the building was becoming financially onerous in terms of maintenance and repairs and the size of their congregation no longer required such a large structure. Finding a new home has been difficult. Several opportunities have not panned out. Mr. Gordon said, “my heart went out to them.” He will make the gift of land for a temple, but he also made clear certain conditions. The land will have deed restrictions. For example, subletting for commercial purposes will not be allowed. The remainder of his property, which is approximately 6 acres, will be preserved as open space, likely given to Milton Land Trust. He made a number of other points:

• While there are no specific designs at this time, the building footprint will be between 5,000 and 5,500 square feet which Mr. Gordon said is a “very small footprint”
• The site is in the northwest corner and the temple will not be visible from any street
• construction vehicles could have access to the site through the Gordon’s property during the building phase
• Acknowledging the traffic concerns, Mr. Gordon noted that Gun Hill has also become a significant cut through street
• Mr Gordon said he had listened to the neighbors but did not agree with them. However, he also said, “I am very concerned about addressing as many of [their concerns] as possible.”
• He stated his belief that the site was in the best interests of both the temple and the town.
• “Transparency is paramount.”

Ada Rosmarin, who sits on the Temple’s “New Home” committee, said that the congregation was very grateful to the Gordon’s for their generosity, that there was excitement on the potential of finally finding a new home after an exhaustive 3 year search, and that the site had a special significance as part of the first Jewish-owned property in Milton. She added that they looked forward to working with the town and the neighbors to bring  this to fruition. The members present said that their congregation was currently about 130 families, inclusive of their recent merger with the Quincy congregation. Attendence at services is generally 25 people. Attendance is higher during the high holy days. Three of four staff work on a daily basis. Ms. Voigt said that the congregation “strives to fit into the neighborhood” and that there were other examples of small temples in residential areas.

Mr. Gordon noted and the selectmen confirmed that they are not an adjudicating body in this matter. The proposal is likely permitted under the Dover Amendment which relieves certain non-profits from complying with zoning requirements (learn more here.)

Chair Keohane told those present that the Selectmen do not typically respond to Citizen Speak. The Selectmen did make some remarks.

Katie Conlon said the donation was “wonderful news,” and she also backed up Ms. Voigt’s statement about the temple being good neighbors. She said even residents who opposed the redevelopment of the old temple site as commercial space had said the congregation and temple were good neighbors. She asked about the option of access off Gun Hill Street. Mr Gordon favors access off Lodge Street, because that will enable the building to be sited as far from any residences as possible.

Selectman Hurley said, “The town is a better place thanks to you and Andrea. [You have been] a huge help to this town.”

Discussions on this issue will be ongoing.

Here is an illustration of property owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon on Gun Hill Street from the DPW’s GIS site.