Included in the recently reached deal with Oros High School, Jackson Township has agreed to no longer require private schools be accredited in order to receive a land use approval, TLS has exclusively learned.
As earlier reported, the Jackson Township Council in December unanimously approved a settlement with the school after nearly a decade of back-and-forth litigation which began in 2014 after the school’s plans to build a new building in the township were rejected by the Zoning Board.
According to details of the settlement obtained by TLS, Jackson Township conceded for the first time that the municipality does not have the authority to request a private school be accredited when attempting to obtain a land use approval.
“The Township acknowledges that it does not currently possess the authority or obligation to require that a private or parochial primary school, secondary school or institution of higher learning be accredited prior to issuance of a land use application approval,” the settlement states.
Also included in the settlement is a requirement for the township to pay the sum of $1,350,000.00 to the school as compensation.
In addition, the Township will rezone the property to commercial and the building will be allowed to be built as originally submitted.
The settlement is a direct result of the lawsuit filed by the school claiming the township was violating the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, after several earlier lawsuits were decided in the township’s favor.
Poor Barry Calogero and his history of hate. They keep on loosing.
There is absolutely no reason why this case has taken so many years. The audacity of the Jackson Zoning Board borders on being willfully criminal.
Unfortunately Rebbe there is rampant anti-Semitism in our area. Jackson just got caught. Other local towns should learn from the lessons of Jackson.
With the expected future growth in this region of the Orthodox, perhaps your leadership can start building collaborations with local township committees so they are prepared for future development. Hopefully Lakewood Orthodox leadership will learn from the lessons of irresponsible development that led to infrastructure collapse and overcrowding.
Is Oros going to get Jackson Township to pay their legal fees?
This school is going on Cross Street–the backup on this street is bad enough now–between the new development right past White Road that exits onto Cross Road and this school being build–the traffic on Cross Street will be terrible