Yeshiva students will be ‘cream of the crop'

Chester —Residents had a chance recently to meet the new owners of the Inn at Chester on Route 17M, which will be converted to a Jewish seminary and boarding school. The group, also known as the Yeshiva Farm Settlement of Mount Kisko in New Castle, Westchester County, has existed since 1948. Its stated goal is “to keep a small school, separate from their settlement, where the children learn to be good Jews, peaceful people, and good American citizens.” It also emphasizes, “We are not associated with any other Jewish Group in Orange County.” Burt Dorfman of Dorfman, Noble and Conway of Nyack, presented the project to the Chester town planning board. Both he and Isaac Perlmutter, administrator of the New Castle campus, promised this facility will not grow larger than the current proposal shows it will be. “Septic, other health regulations, and property lines will constrain future growth,” Dorfman said. The students who will be invited to attend the Chester yeshiva will be the top graduates from New Castle, he said. When several Chester residents voiced concern that so many new youngsters in the area would be hitchhiking or loitering, Perlmutter objected. “These are scholars,” he said. “It is the cream of the crop that will be brought here.” Students will not be permitted to drive or to leave the campus, he said. Recreational facilities are included in the school plan. The 16-unit Inn at Chester will be used as a dorm and staff rooms for 120 students and staffers. The town had given the Inn preliminary approval for a proposed catering hall. But the new plan constitutes a change of use that will require an entirely new site plan approval. Dorfman said the impact of this school on traffic will be far less than the 400-seat catering hall previously approved. This satisfied important criteria for getting approval for a change of use. The parcel on which the motel currently sits consists of three separate tax lots totaling 16.8 acres. If the three parcels are combined, the property may be eligible for tax-free status. Town supervisor Bill Tully said he will meet with yeshiva representatives to talk about having the owners make payments in lieu of taxes. Nonprofit entities often make these payments to municipalities to help offset losses in property taxes. The state transportation department must also approve the change of use, and the owner must submit a full new set of plans. Dr. Mark Lane, who owns the adjacent veterinary clinic, pleaded with the board to restore a buffer, promised in the initial motel approval, to protect his property from the incessant noise of Routes 17 and 17M, and to give him some privacy. Planners asked Joe Mlcoch, the town building inspector, to follow through on these complaints and see that property lines are respected. The new owners agreed to let the buffer area fully regrow. The owners said they have plans to provide security to the school but not to enclose the area with a gate. Religious schools fall outside of local jurisdiction when it comes to teaching content and campus ethics. Public discussion of the project will continue at the regularly scheduled planning board meeting in December. Pamela Chergotis contributed to this story.