TEMPLE, LOSING MEMBERS, SELLS A PARKING LOT
If you are like most people who shop at Trader Joe's on National Blvd. during the rush hour, sometimes you have to park in the upper parking lot, the one owned by the Adat Shalom Temple.
To raise some money for improvements, the temple is going to sell that lot to Bershon Realty, which owns the rest of the block (including the land under Trader Joe's).
 "Adat Shalom is associated with the Conservative Judaism movement." the temple said in a statement. "In 1985, when the existing synagogue was expanded, the congregation numbered 425 families; today, membership numbers 225 families."
The temple will continue using the lot under an agreement with Bershon Realty. If it is ever needed for another purpose, the temple has some other parking possibilities in the area, the statement said. It continued:
"Bershon Realty anticipates no such activity for at least 4-5 years, giving Adat Shalom adequate time to undertake work at the synagogue property to supply some additional on-site parking.
"Adat Shalom explored leasing shared parking in nearby office buildings on National Boulevard. The owner of at least one of those buildings . . . was interested in pursuing a lease, so Adat Shalom has alternative possibilities in the event of such a need.
"Adat Shalom has also applied for a Plan Approval to allow the demolition of one structure at the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and the development of a surface parking lot with at least 14 parking spaces at the corner of National Boulevard and Malcolm Avenue, with one-way circulaton from National to Malcolm.
"The new parking lot would provide some more convenient synagogue parking, improve the traffic flow and safety during the ECC's morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods as well as all other pick-up and drop-off periods for other synagogue activities, and would be useful for short-term parking for religious-school parents. Additionally, the lot would improve access for disabled persons and the pre school parents, many of whom bring strollers to the property.
"Adat Shalom plans to complete this project in phases, for both functional and financial reasons. . . . It is anticipated that the earliest time that the new surface lot would be developed would be over the summer of 2008, during the prechool’s summer vacation."
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