The Skokie Village Board has rejected a zoning change that would have allowed a developer to build condominiums on a synagogue parking lot.
Faced with dwindling membership and financial hard times, the 49-year-old B’nai Emunah Synagogue wanted to sell part of its parking lot to a developer who planned to erect a 44-unit condo building.
But after hearing nearby residents’ concerns about parking, traffic and the potential for the neighborhood’s character to change, the board defeated the proposal, 5-2.
Synagogue members said the synagogue, 9131 Niles Center Rd., once had 1,500 families but now has fewer than 200 and cannot meet expenses.
“If the project is not approved, we cannot stay as a synagogue in Skokie,” said Melvin Cohen, a synagogue member.
Residents of the 9100 block of Kenton Avenue near the synagogue said condos are not welcome. “The idea that no traffic increase is going to happen is ridiculous,” Veda Rotman said.
