A pair of houses on Central Avenue could be demolished to make a new home for the SMVS SHRI Swaminarayan Temple. Image courtesy Google Maps.
A Journal Square religious institution is looking to relocate just a few blocks north into a modern facility that would be constructed from scratch.
Jersey City’s Zoning Board is slated to consider a proposal to revamp 48 Central Avenue. SMVS Jersey City, a Cherry Hill-based entity, is looking to construct a Hindu temple on the lot, which sits across from Jotham Wakeman School No. 6.
The property is currently developed with a 3-story, two-family dwelling along Central Avenue and a 2-story, single-family home along St. Paul’s Avenue. The remainder of the site is covered with an asphalt pavement/parking area, and all of it would be torn down under the proposal.
The proposed temple would rise four stories and 46 feet tall. Rendering by Aavart Patel.
The future building would eventually house the SMVS SHRI Swaminarayan Temple, a congregation that is relocating from their existing house of worship at 415-423 Hoboken Avenue, three blocks away. A mixed-use redevelopment proposal that has thus far not materialized has been in the works for that address since 2021.
The plans for the new Hindu temple were drawn up by Randolph-based architect Aavart Patel, and it would rise four stories. The first floor would consist of a dining room, storage rooms, a kitchen, and a grocery room, while the second floor would feature a Sabha, office rooms, and storage areas.
The temple would rise at the corner of St. Paul’s Avenue and Central Avenue. Rendering by Aavart Patel.
The third floor would sport a Balika/kishori activity room, two mukto rooms, a mukto kitchen, two washer/dryer rooms, and bathrooms. The top floor of the temple would boast a pair of student rooms, a multipurpose hall, and areas for staff.
New front yard landscaping and sidewalks are proposed along both frontages, as well as two new street trees on Central Avenue and three on St. Paul’s Avenue. The building’s exterior would utilize thin stone veneer and porcelain tile components.
The religious organization is asking for several variances to make their plan work, the most significant of which involves a building height of 46 feet, where a maximum of 35 is allowed. A principal point statement included in the temple’s application notes that the project is consistent with the height of the nearby St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church, which has a height of 65 feet to the peak of the nave roof.
The view along St. Paul’s Avenue. Rendering by Aavart Patel.
The temple is also asking for variances related to the development’s rear yard setback, parapet height, lot coverage, side yard setback, front yard lot coverage, parking, rooftop appurtenance setback, and rooftop appurtenance coverage.
The Zoning Board is scheduled to hear the application for the project during their November 20 meeting, which begins at 6:00 pm in the Boardroom at the Holloway Building within the City Hall Annex at 4 Jackson Square.