Forest Hills Jewish Center Feasibility Study

The Forest Hills Jewish Center engaged Jonathan Rose Companies to help examine real estate options for the substantial redevelopment of their built complex consisting of a one-story sanctuary building and an attached four-story multi-purpose community building.

The Center desires to maintain a strong presence in the community as it has for the past 50 years, but also recognizes that the site possesses significant development potential that could enhance the financial sustainability of their organization.

The development options identified and examined by our team include: preservation of the community space and the synagogue; demolition of both the synagogue and the community space; and demolition of the community space and preservation of the synagogue or the synagogue's façade. Compounding the complexity of development options is the location of the Center in an outdated auto-use zone surrounded by high-density residential development.

Jonathan Rose Companies, Weisz + Yoes and Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel, analyzed the potential zoning and the financing structure of each development option to help the center arrive at the best option to meet both their programmatic and financial needs.