Chester, NY – Nitra Yeshiva Plans Scaled Back

Chester, NY – The Hasidic owners of the former Inn at Chester are scaling back their plans to build a yeshiva at the site, as a deadline nears for them to start work on the project or risk shutting the school down.

Yeshiva Toras Chemed of Mount Kisco has until August before a settlement with the town to use trailers at the site as a temporary school runs out. The school, which traces its roots to a Holocaust scholar-hero, has touted for more than three years that it would build a formidable yeshiva, attracting students from all over the world.

The original site plan approved several years ago included a three-story 36,000-square-foot school building and a 9,000-square-foot dormitory. However, construction of the project never began, and a new engineer on the project, Kirk Rother of Warwick, approached the Planning Board early this month with a new scaled-down proposal that would build a two-story 24,000-square-foot building and a 4,500-square-foot dormitory.

Building Inspector Joel Mlcoch said the town will likely grant another extension of the deadline, as long as the new site plan is approved by the Planning Board.

Read more in today’s Record