Ron Brown knew the drill. This wasn’t his first planning commission meeting and God knows it won’t be the last — this is Tiburon, after all.
The immediate past president of Congregation Kol Shofar and a member of the synagogue’s building committee sat in on the commission meeting May 10 — and sat, and sat some more. When the meeting broke up past midnight, no official vote had been taken, but a number of the commissioners seemed amenable to recommending the synagogue’s expansion plans be watered down.
Brown’s succinct answer: no thanks.
“There was a great deal of concern expressed by members of the commission that our plans were too ambitious or aggressive. What’s the best way to put this? We humbly disagree,” said Brown, who attended the seventh planning commission meeting held in the past two years regarding the synagogue’s plans.
While no vote was taken, meeting No. 8 is scheduled for May 31, and a vote is on the agenda.
Housed in a 1960s-era middle school, Kol Shofar has been struggling logistically since growing to more than 600 member families. After years of searching fruitlessly for a larger site, the Conservative synagogue instead unveiled plans several years back to add and redesign structures on its existing seven-acre plot nestled in a secluded residential neighborhood. Along with enlarging the synagogue’s sanctuary, the plans call for four additional classrooms, a 4,000-square-foot multipurpose structure with a seating capacity of 600 and additional parking and landscaping.
The large building and the specter of additional automobile traffic and noise in the area raised the ire of around 30 synagogue neighbors, who formed a group called the Tiburon Neighborhood Coalition and hired a lawyer.
The coalition’s attorney, Stephan C. Volker, did not return j.’s calls as of press time.
Regarding neighborhood concerns, Brown utilized the “that’s just Marin” argument.
“I think history would suggest [that] in any place in Marin there is this level of friction when anyone proposes to build anything,” he said.
Regarding noise and traffic concerns, he pointed out that Kol Shofar has funded an exhaustive environmental impact report and employed specialists to bolster its claims.
The synagogue has worked out a complex agreement with the city regarding use on Saturday nights: The future multipurpose structure would only be utilized on 12 Saturday nights a year, with a maximum attendance of 250 on four of those nights, 200 on four nights and 150 on the last four.
Kol Shofar disputes the contention that larger quarters will bring in many more members.
“Suppose you live in an 800-square-foot apartment. If you get married and have two kids and move into a 3,000-square-foot home, you’re not moving with the intention to have a 12-person family,” Howard Zack, the co-chair of the synagogue’s building committee, told j. last year.
And while Brown said he’s certainly willing to hear out the planning commission, he noted that its May 31 decision isn’t binding. It’s the town council that matters here.
“The planning commission is not the ultimate arbiter of this. Several years ago, St. Hilary’s Catholic Church went through a long and protracted battle to build a gym for CYO basketball. And their plan was turned down, 5-0, by the planning commission and approved, 5-0, by the town council,” he said.
“Large projects like the one at St. Hilary’s and Kol Shofar tend to be more contentious and always end up before town council.”
Brown said Kol Shofar’s project may run to $10 million or more, depending upon inflation. Barring serious delays, he said he hoped shovels would be hitting the ground in 2008. In August of last year, Zack and Kol Shofar Rabbi Lavey Derby expressed hopes ground would be broken sometime this year.