Zoners asked to consider plan for assisted living
Supporters say aging Jewish population needs a place to live in area
BY ELANAARON Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Testimony on an applicant's plan to build a nursing and assisted living facility that would serve an aging Jewish population is expected to continue in front of the Freehold Township Zoning Board of Adjustment at 7:30 p.m. June 12 in the municipal building, Stillwells Corner Road.

The Village for Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Workmen's Circle of Freehold Township hopes to service elderly Jewish residents of central New Jersey by offering a 152-bed nursing home and a 37-suite assisted living residence at Halls Mill Road and Route 33 as the solution to what supporters call a dearth of options for elderly Jewish residents. The facility would provide strictly kosher meals and religious and cultural programs and services.

The proposed skilled nursing home is designed as a two-story structure, totaling about 100,000 square feet, and the assisted living residence is a separate twostory structure of about 44,000 square feet. The plan also includes an adult medical day care center and physicians offices for residents of the facility.

The applicant is asking the zoning board to grant a use variance that would permit the construction of a residential facility in a light industrial zone.

A standing room crowd was in attendance at the May 22 zoning board meeting when the application was heard. Some people wore "Support The Village" stickers to show their support for the facility.

Representatives of the area's Jewish community have lined up to support the proposal.

Howard Gases, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, said the need for such a project is very apparent.

"Jewish people from Monmouth County call me often asking for kosher facilities for their older parents who cannot take care of themselves anymore," Gases said. "A very vulnerable population in our community is the elderly and we need to take care of them. There is a tremendous need in this community for such a facility."

Susan Diamond, administrator and volunteer coordinator of the KosherMeals onWheels program, said, "The Village will be a safe, state-of-the-art environment where the elderly will have the possibility to make new friendships and follow Jewish traditions which will enhance their quality of life."

Rabbi Melinda Panken of Temple Shaari Emeth, Manalapan, added her support for the application, saying, "I want the zoning board to know there are nearly 150 families in our congregation from Freehold Township, most of which will eventually need the services the Village would provide. I want to be able to tell them that yes, there is a beautiful place right here for your loved ones."

Representatives of the applicant said the facility is designed after the "household model" and is much different from conventional nursing homes that are more institutionalized. There will be no nursing stations and the facility will include a kosher delicatessen, spa, game rooms and a beauty salon. Residents will live in "households" of 12 to 16 beds, each featuring a dining room, living room and kitchen.

The site for the proposed project is on Halls Mill Road near Business Route 33, on 14 acres that is currently zoned for light industrial use.

The site was previously approved for an industrial truck terminal. In order to obtain a use variance, representatives of the applicant will have to prove that construction of The Village is inherently beneficial.

Workmen's Circle community outreach coordinator Jonathan Jaffe said the structure would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, citing the land as being bordered by a residential area on one side, industrial on the other.

"It (The Village) would act as a transitional buffer," he said. "It fits well. If we opened it tomorrow, we would be full. It's all about aging with dignity."

Literature that describes the proposed project states that "The Village is to be built and operated by the New Jersey Workmen's Circle, a nonprofit organization which owned and operated a skilled nursing home in Elizabeth for nearly 60 years. It is relocating to Freehold Township to be closer to where many members live and to be better able to serve their needs."