Residential/private school use approved in Monroe

MONROE — A former rest home in the township will become the home of Yeshiva Bais Medrash Le Talmud, a Hebrew Rabbinical school.

The Township Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the application to convert the building into a private school at a recent meeting, with no special conditions attached. The applicant needed a use variance, bulk variance and minor site plan approval to use the building, located partly in a residential and commercial zone.

Since the building that housed the Wood Haven Rest Home is already partitioned into private rooms, the change to a residential yeshiva will not require changes to the inside of the structure, according to Township Engineer Ernest Feist.

Located near the intersection of Schoohouse and Spotswood-Gravel Hill roads, the school is slated to house about 40 students, ages 18 to 21, Feist said. The building's maximum capacity is 49 people.

Students will adhere to an austere daily routine, beginning the day with prayer at 7:40 a.m. and finishing their day of prayer and study at 9:45 p.m.

The Hebrew organization currently has a facility in Lakewood.