A nearly 5-acre site that holds a longtime Chattanooga Jewish synagogue could become a location for new housing as a developer has plans for 25 townhomes on the tract.
The B'nai Zion congregation's building at 114 McBrien Road has developed structural issues after nearly 50 years, said Alan Lebovitz, who is a member of the congregation.
He said the problem prompted the congregation to explore other options for its future home in Chattanooga.
On Monday, Chattanooga developer Ethan Collier won approval for a zoning change for the parcel from R-1 residential to R-3 from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. Collier, who heads the panel, recused himself from discussion of the proposed change.
He said in a statement that families have worshipped at B'nai Zion for decades.
"As this site with so much history transitions into approximately 25 single-family homes, we are excited about continuing the legacy of meeting the needs of families in Chattanooga that this congregation has done so well for many years," Collier said.
A Regional Planning Agency document said the townhomes would be two- or three-bedroom units. Dan Muhs of the engineering firm Allen & Hoshall said there are no plans for multi-family development on the site. He told the planning panel that the property has been condemned by the city.
Thomas Rose, who lives nearby off McBrien Road, said he was worried about added traffic and potholes on the road.
"I'm fed up with it," he said.
Planning Commission staff had recommended approval of the change in zoning for the McBrien Road property, saying the request was compatible with adjacent land uses and it was extension of an existing zone. But the staff conditioned approval in that buildings be limited to 2.5 stories or 35 feet high.
Collier and Lebovitz immediately declined to give more detailed future plans for the site or the congregation. The project still needs City Council approval.
According to B'nai Zion's website, the Chattanooga community also supports the Mizpah Congregation synagogue on McCallie Avenue.
The website said that in 1880, Wolfe Brody started the Chattanooga Jewish community and a Tennessee State charter was issued to the "Brethren from B'nai Chein" in 1888.
In 1903, the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society was formed, now known as the B'nai Zion Sisterhood and the Chattanooga Free Hebrew school was established in 1909, the website said.
It said the congregation's name was changed to B'nai Zion in 1924 and that in 1961 the affiliation was changed from Orthodox to modern Conservative.
Ground was broken for the McBrien Road synagogue on Nov. 4, 1973, according to the website.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.