Cherry Hill zoning board approves BAPS mandir expansion with conditions

The Cherry Hill Zoning Board of Adjustment on June 25 approved BAPS Cherry Hill, LLC’s application to expand its mandir at 1 Carnegie Plaza by about 18,330 square feet and to add three ornamental shikharas, subject to a set of conditions and outside-agency approvals.

Chair Jonathan Rardin opened the special meeting and the board heard a presentation from the applicant’s attorney, Damien Del Duca, who said the proposal would not increase sanctuary seating or congregation size and framed the mandir as an inherently beneficial use under federal religious-land-use protections. Planner James Miller testified the application satisfies the required zoning balancing tests, and engineer Anand Bhatt described site work that, he said, would not increase traffic because congregation hours fall outside peak commuting periods.

The application requests d(2) and d(6) variances to permit the continued use of the building as a mandir in the Industrial Restricted zone and to allow decorative elements that exceed the 35-foot height limit. Architect Aavart Patel described the proposed vertical elements: the tallest shikhara would reach 58 feet, two flanking shikharas 56 feet, and two tower elements 49 feet; the roofline and parapet would remain within 35 feet. Bhatt also testified that impervious coverage is about 35.8 percent and that the project proposes additions to parking and circulation. The applicant said roughly 2,850 square feet of a 50-foot NJDEP wetlands buffer would be disturbed for parking and a trash enclosure, requiring NJDEP approval of a buffer-averaging plan.

Neighbors raised concerns during public comment. Jody DeMarco objected to the orientation of the proposed entrance, wetlands-buffer impacts, stormwater runoff, lighting, tree removal, compatibility with the zoning district, and asked for verification of open-space calculations. Jenn DeMarco echoed concerns about a past wetlands violation and lighting. The applicant’s team responded that the layout reflects existing parking and entrance locations, that the applicant will comply with NJDEP requirements, and that engineer Bhatt recalculated the open-space figure after excluding wetlands from the computation and stated the project would comply with the Zoning Ordinance; plans will be updated on the record.

Resident Deepak Chhatwal spoke in support of BAPS, thanking the organization for its religious and community programming. Volunteer coordinator Neel Patel told the board the mandir typically draws about 400–500 people on a normal Sunday and up to about 600 people on a handful of high-holiday days per year; he said staffing and sanctuary seating would not increase and the gymnasium would be limited to congregant use.

Board members expressed general support while flagging enforceability and neighborhood concerns. Board member Greg Bruno described the project as a substantial improvement provided lighting concerns are addressed; Mishael Azam said she supported the entrance location but shared worries about uplighting; Ken Williams asked for clarity that lighting restrictions be enforceable; and Kevin Cockfield confirmed the applicant would agree to a 10:00 p.m. cutoff for any elements above 35 feet, including during Diwali.

Zoning Board Solicitor Allen Zeller read conditions of approval that the board adopted: compliance with the Department of Community Development, ERI, and Fire Marshal review letters; obtain all outside agency approvals (including NJDEP Letter of Interpretation and approval of any buffer-averaging plan); update plans to reflect NJDEP requirements and return to the board if required variances or design waivers are triggered; provide temporary irrigation (water bags and hose bibs) for new plantings; restrict lighting above 35 feet to be turned off by 10:00 p.m.; restrict gymnasium use to congregants; and verify and update open-space calculations on the zoning schedule. The board approved the application by a unanimous vote of the six members present (Rardin, Jones, Bruno, Cockfield, Azam, Williams).

The board’s approval is conditioned on NJDEP’s sign-off of buffer-averaging and any other outside-agency approvals; if revisions create new variances or design waivers the applicant must return to the board. The Township’s Department of Community Development confirmed it has no open violations against the applicant and that a prior Township-level violation was abated per the Department’s 2014 letter; the Department could not confirm NJDEP’s separate disposition of that prior matter on the record.

The board also required that the applicant repair or replace parking pavement as inspectors direct and that rooftop mechanical equipment be screened. Plans will be updated to reflect the final open-space calculation and any NJDEP-ordered changes.