Council votes in favor of new Chabad preschool

The Town Council has given the go-ahead for the island's first preschool.

The site plan and a parking variance for the Alef Preschool, to be operated by The Chabad House, each received 4-1 votes of approval, with Councilwoman Julie Araskog dissenting, at the Nov. 15 Development Review Committee meeting.

With the approval comes a condition: That the preschool operators return to the Town Council at the Wednesday meeting with a declaration-of-use agreement that then would need to be approved. Rabbi Zalman Levitin, head of the Chabad House of Northern Palm Beach, said Friday the agreement already has been submitted.

The 3,038-square-foot building on the property at 165 Bradley Place sits on the southeast corner of Park Avenue, and is the former home of the private Old Guard Society of Palm Beach Golfers. The Chabad House is leasing the site from the property’s owner, Biltmore Galleria. The school will operate as Alef Preschool Palm Beach at The Lila & Gil Silverman Early Learning Center, town records show. Enrollment will be capped at 68 children ages 18 months to 4 years.

Attorney Harvey Oyer III, representing The Chabad House, told the council at its meeting — which originally was scheduled for Nov. 9 but postponed because of Hurricane Nicole — that Levitin and his wife, Hindel, already had four staff members lined up and interest from families on the island.

An influx of young families to Palm Beach during the COVID-19 pandemic has driven up demand for a preschool to finally open on the island, Oyer said. “We have a solution today, and it is the right site, and it is the right operator, and it is the right time for us to address this,” he said.

The preschool will be open to all children, but they will be taught according to Jewish values, Hindel Levitin said, and Jewish holidays will be recognized. There also will be instruction in the Hebrew language. Chabad is an Orthodox Jewish religious organization.

With its pair of votes Nov. 15, the council approved a special exception for the preschool in the commercial-town serving zoning district, while reviewing the site plan. The interior of the building will include four classrooms, a cellphone lounge for waiting parents, a restroom for small children and two restrooms for adults, and a kitchen.

The parking area on the east side of the building will be closed off, with the asphalt removed and sod installed to create a playground area as required for a preschool by state law, Oyer said. That parking area includes a handicapped space that must be moved to the south side of the building, which will require two spaces to be converted to one, he said. The second approval from the council was to grant a variance to allow for six fewer parking spaces.

While officials and neighbors of the property agree a preschool is needed in Palm Beach, the project has faced opposition from some who say it will complicate an already difficult traffic issue by adding congestion. Attorneys for two nearby condominiums, The Parc Regent and The Biltmore, spoke in opposition, along with several residents of each condominium and some who live along Park Avenue to the north and east of the site.

Andrew Speranzini, attorney for the Parc Regent association, said there is no language in the code that specifically allows for a preschool. “If there is no specific language in the code that addresses such use or structure then such use or structure is not allowed,” he said, adding, “We shouldn’t even be here.”

Residents who spoke shared concerns about traffic and safety. Some said they worried children would run from their parents onto Bradley Place or Park Avenue. Others said the intersection of Park and Bradley is incredibly busy, with delays that lead to long lines during peak hours.

Oyer countered by saying the preschool will have staggered pickup and dropoff times that will prevent the long car lines seen at schools elsewhere on the island. The amount of traffic expected also would be less than the current use of a private club allows for, he said.

Town planner Jennifer Hofmeister-Drew concurred, and said the town attorney had reviewed issues with the code and found no conflict.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Council paves way for new prescthool at Bradley and Park