Temple Israel President: Subdivision to be Filed Soon

The president of Temple Israel said on Wednesday that the filing of a subdivision of its property is "imminent," which is the first step in a potential sale of the land to Peninsula Public Library.

Members of the temple met on Tuesday with Village of Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner to discuss the filing.

"We were expecting to file it this week, but after a conversation with the mayor we have to look at the plans more closely," said James Rotenberg, president of Temple Israel. "Our architect may have to review the plans, but the filing is imminent. It's rather simplistic; the ultimate use is not the issue."

Peninsula Public Library has been searching for a new space for about a decade, with members of the board of trustees and administration saying the current 13,000-square-foot building cannot support about 17,000 registered borrowers and a growing collection. Rotenberg approached the library after its nearly five-year bid to acquire land near Zion Park from the village fell through.

But Rotenberg said that the temple would still seek to sell the land, assuming the subdivision is approved, even if PPL is not the buyer. "We need to monetize the front lawn in order to continue to do what we're doing, which is providing services to our members and to the community at large," he said. "All of us would prefer to have a beautiful, pristine front lawn. But in these times, that's a hard proposition. It's asking a lot of our members."

Oliner, who said the meeting with Temple Israel officials went well, is concerned about whether the temple has enough land for a subdivision. "It's a function of whether or not they can meet the rules," he said. "There are rules for subdivisions, but the rules require that at the end of the day you have two conforming lots." He added, "I'm not sure Temple Israel has two lots."

If the temple does have the right amount of space, they would have to file the subdivision with the village's planning board. Oliner said that step is about a month away. But even if the subdivision is approved, he said, the village would still have to look at whether Fulton Street, which is adjacent to the temple, can support parking for the library.

"I hope a new library gets built soon, I'm just not sure this is the place where it will happen," Oliner said. "It is not a slam-dunk, simple matter, until at least we know what the plans look like."

Library board of trustees vice president Joan Lepelstat, who pointed out that PPL cannot remain in its current space because of the limited parking lot, said she has no choice but to wait. "It's a pity that an affluent community like Lawrence doesn't have a library to be proud of," she said. "I don't think anyone will argue that we need a new library, the problem is just where. There aren't that many options."