St. Mary Church in East Brunswick wants to build youth center

EAST BRUNSWICK – St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church wants to build a 14,470-square-foot youth center on its 8.8-acre property at the corner of Riva Avenue and Hardenburg Lane.

The church's application is scheduled for a public hearing before the township Zoning Board of Adjustment in the municipal complex at 7:30 p.m. June 2.

The plans call for the demolition of two houses on the property.

The plans also propose a new driveway to the lot from Hardenburg Lane.

The church has to appear before the zoning board, instead of the township Planning Board, because houses of worship and associated uses are conditionally permitted in the township's RP (Rural Preservation) Zone.

St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church wants to construct a new freestanding youth center.
St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church wants to construct a new freestanding youth center.

The church is asking for variances to allow more than the maximum amount of building and lot coverage.

There are pre-existing non-conformities for minimum lot area, minimum front yard setback and maximum building height for the existing St. Mary Church and pre-school.

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St. Mary was the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Central Jersey and has become the mother church of most of the Coptic Orthodox churches in New Jersey and surrounding states.

The application, documents and maps for the proposal are on file in the office of the Department of Planning and Engineering in the municipal building and are available to the public during normal business hours.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. 

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: East Brunswick NJ: St. Mary Church wants to add youth center