Brookline ZBA continues hearing on proposed 23,000 sq ft Chabad at 90–100 Bellingham Road after extensive neighbor opposition

The Town of Brookline Zoning Board of Appeals opened a multi-hour hearing on a proposal to build a new Chabad center at 90–100 Bellingham Road. Attorney Jeffrey Allen presented plans for what he said is a roughly 23,000-square-foot religious facility intended to house worship space, classrooms, administrative offices and ancillary program areas; the project drew extensive public comment and the board continued the matter to Thursday, March 6 for further submissions and deliberation.

Allen told the board the proposal is protected under the Dover Amendment and cited case law and zoning-by-law provisions as the legal framework for the applicant’s request for relief. Architect Adolfo Perez reviewed the site plan and elevations, describing massing that includes a two-story sanctuary, a one-story classroom wing and a rear courtyard. Rabbi Mendi Omenur, who leads Chabad at Chestnut Hill, told the board the congregation has outgrown its current Bellingham Road house and seeks a permanent home to support worship, preschool, Sunday school and adult education.

The presentation included the applicant’s programmatic estimates and comparative figures: Allen said the proposed building would be about 23,000 square feet with a floor-area ratio (FAR) of roughly 0.82; he compared that to larger religious uses nearby, including Temple Emmett at about 54,245 square…