The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Zoning Board of Adjustment on November 6 held a nearly 3-hour hearing on an application to raze the Ukrainian Cultural Center on Davidson Avenue and replace it with a warehouse, but not much was accomplished.
That was mainly due to heavy questioning of the several witnesses by objectors to the plan proffered by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.
The objectors also repeatedly asked the that Board postpone hearing the application.
This was the second hearing on the application. The first one, held on September 18, ended in chaos when many of the 200 protestors who showed up to the meeting at the Township Council Chamber chased two top prelates of the church out of the municipal building and into their van.
There was no such outburst at the November hearing, held at the Board of Education administration building on Route 27, but the prelates, Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel, did not attend.
The church’s plan is to sell off the parcel containing the Cultural Center to a company that plans to raze it and build in its stead a 258,150-square-foot warehouse.
Opponents of the plan are angry because, they say, it was made without input from supporters of the cultural center, and tearing down the cultural center is an attack on their Ukrainian heritage.
Metropolitan Antony has said that the church needs to sell the property to pay for needed improvements to other buildings, including the seminary, and build another, smaller, cultural center.
The Board is hearing three separate applications on the property; one for the subdivision of the parcel, one for a variance triggered by the subdivision, and the third is site plan approval for the warehouse.
During the testimony from two witnesses, the Board was told that the property’s sale was approved by church leaders twice, once in May 2024 and then again in October 2025.
The Board also learned about the landscaping plans for the new parcel created by the subdivision, which the church will keep, and the propose warehouse.
Daniel Miola, the project’s engineer, told the Board that in total, “29 shade trees, 30 ornamental trees, and 110 evergreen trees are proposed for the church lot, as well as approximately 200 shrubs and various grasses and branches to round out the landscape design. A tree removal and replacement plan has also been provided that shows that the required amount of replacement trees are being provided on the site.”
There will be about 10,500 square feet of office space in the warehouse, Miola said. He said that 151 parking spaces will be created for the warehouse and offices.
Also planned is 35 loading docks and 19 trailer parking spaces, Miola said.
Driveways are proposed for Davidson Avenue and Executive Drive, he said.
A sidewalk will be installed along the property’s Davidson Avenue frontage, extending all the way to Executive Drive, Miola said.
He said that 241 shrubs, ornamental grass and perennial plantings are planned, mostly along pavement areas.
The next hearing is set for January, 2026.
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