Staff backs demolition for proposed synagogue at 255 30th Street; board hears presentation and variance rationale

Historic Preservation staff recommended approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness application for a new three‑story synagogue at 255 30th Street (HPB 21‑0492), including staff support for demolition of the existing 1928 building because later, extensive alterations have left the structure bearing little resemblance to the original home.

Staff summary and variance rationale Planning staff told the board the property is a substandard platted lot in the historic district and that substantial modifications in 1986 and later had changed the front facade and interiors so the earlier 1928 configuration is largely unrecognizable. Staff recommended demolition and supported the applicant's request for variances from minimum lot area and lot width (the lot was platted smaller than current code requires), from certain setbacks and from the minimum yard elevation standard. Staff noted that the Planning Board had previously granted the project a conditional use in January.

Why a three‑story building The applicant, architect Ari Sklar, explained the team's rationale for a three‑story building: the congregation desires to avoid elevators for certain religious uses and the resulting lower height requires a slightly larger footprint to provide ritual spaces, living quarters and a partially below‑grade ritual bath (mikvah). Staff noted the site has an approximately 7‑foot elevation difference between the existing sidewalk and the proposed finished floor, and that topography constrains how the yard elevation and setbacks can be reconciled.

Design and neighborhood context Sklar and the project team described the proposed building's religious programming — separate men's and women's temple spaces, living quarters above and a ritual bath — and showed elevations and a site plan illustrating how the massing responds to taller surrounding multifamily buildings rather than lower residential parcels. Staff said the proposed massing and materials reference some religious symbolism and are compatible with the surrounding scale.

Next steps The board heard the staff presentation and the applicant's initial presentation during the meeting; the item did not reach a final vote in the excerpted record. Board members asked clarifying questions about lot geometry, elevation, and how the building's design meets both religious practice and the historic district guidelines. The application remains under board consideration; the applicant will return for a hearing with the variances and Certificate of Appropriateness on the normal board schedule.

What to watch Key materials to monitor are the applicant's detailed site plan showing finished floor elevation relative to adjacent sidewalks, formal variance findings for lot area/width and setbacks, and the Planning Board's conditional use documentation.