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. . February 26, 1992 Plan Commission Meeting Minutes Page 4 conditional use permits and called for testimony from the applicant. Mr. Zimbalist stated that he was a member of the Young Israel congregation, currently located at 7800 Groby Road in University City. Mr. Zimbalist and seven other members were here to speak out as the applicants. Mr. Zimbalist stated that Young Israel is under contract to purchase the properties at 8041 - 8101 Delmar in order to relocate their synagogue. He stated that there are currently 130 families on the roster, 101 active families and 100 families live within 1/2 mile radius of the proposed site. The current location on Groby is unsuitable because of the nearby auto repair service and the noise which emanates from it. The distance people in the congregation must walk will be decreased by the new site. Orthodox jews are not permitted to drive on holy days or the Sabbath and the current location is too far. 43 families will be located within 1/4 mile radius and 58 more are encompassed within 1/2 mile radius of the proposed site. He stated that the Delmar traffic will not be increased by the new location because currently between 14,200 and 14,520 cars per day travel in both directions on that strip of Delmar. Synagogues and churches are and should be in residential areas. They are frequently located in high quality neighborhoods. In response to the staff report, he stated that the use of the synagogue is an appropriate use within residential locations. Only 156 fixed seats will be provided and therefore only 39 parking spaces are required. Most of those parking spaces will not be used because members will be required to walk on the Sabbath and the holidays. He stated that since Young Israel will not be utilizing the full amount of the required parking, they would prefer to provide green space instead of the parking spaces for 11 of them. He stated that the staff recommendation referring to future uses was speculative because Young Israel is a strong congregation and will be around for a very long time. The criteria is the number of parking spaces required to meet the particular use and must reflect the reality of the situation. He stated that there is no transitional yard requirement for synagogues in the "MR" district, only for commercial uses, and synagogues are residential uses. Finally, he stated that the use will have a positive economic impact on the surrounding homes. Betty Zimbalist, 8124 Amherst stated that 59 families have joined the congregation in the last ten years and the synagogue needs to be enlarged. Shelly Freedman, 7931 Gannon, stated that it is difficult to walk as far as she does now with a toddler. Mark Trazen, 8211 Gannon, stated that the 1986 Comprehensive Plan requires that the housing stock be preserved and that people with community values should migrate to the area. He feels that the relocation of Young Israel will accomplish that. He presented the Commission members with a news article to clarify his point. Tiki Lyons, 7916 Stanford, stated that she has made improvements to her home in the 21 1/2 years she has lived here and members of the Young Israel congregation will do the same. Shelly Wolf, 8044 Amherst, stated that the move will benefit the youngest and the oldest members of the congregation by reducing the walk by a 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Joel Garvow, 7947 Cornell, stated that he would benefit from the shorter walk by 1/2 mile, the building will be used for study and prayer 3 times per day, on the Sabbath there is usually about a 150 person attendance, occasionally there will be bar mitzvahs or celebrations with bride grooms. Holiday m-2-26.plc