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EDISON, NEW JERSEY, March 11, 2004: The Township Council has sided with residents who fear a proposed Hindu temple in neighboring South Plainfield would disrupt their quiet neighborhood. On Wednesday night, council members cited traffic concerns, not religious denomination, in adopting a resolution in opposition to the proposed one-story, 14,000-square-foot temple. The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization is seeking to build the temple on an area zoned for light industrial use. While the entire building would sit in south Plainfield, the lone access to the 6.7-acre plot is through Edison. On March 11 the public will have a chance to speak about the application at a zoning board meeting in South Plainfield. Edison residents next to the proposed site fear cars traveling to and from the temple will disrupt their quiet neighborhood, but a traffic study performed on behalf of the developer stated the increased traffic from the temple would not negatively affect Edison or South Plainfield. “A place of worship, as I’ve stated before, is probably the best use for the site compared to what it is zoned for,” said Dhruval Shah, director of the Swaminarayan Satsang’s Central New Jersey chapter. The area is zoned for light industrial use, requiring a variance for the temple to be built. Shah believes zoning laws will allow the temple to be built.

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