Proposed religious college in Sterling Forest brings concern
Warwick. Residents at the public hearing urged Warwick town planners to conduct a full environmental impact statement on the Beth Medrash Meor Yitzchok proposal.
| 23 Apr 2025 | 10:50
Thirteen members of the Warwick Town Planning Board were on hand on April 16 for the public hearing for a rabbinical studies project in Sterling Forest; the hearing attracted about 100 people. Photo by Peter Lyons Hall.
About 100 residents turned out to the April 16 Warwick Town Planning Board meeting, most to express concern about a proposed 200-student religious college in Sterling Forest at the former site of an NYU research facility.
Old Forge Road, LLC heard its application for site plan approval and special use permit of an existing 87,000+ square foot building to be turned into the Beth Medrash Meor Yitzchok school.
Beth Medrash Meor Yitzchok College is a private institution of higher learning based in Monsey. The most popular bachelor’s degree concentrations are Talmudic Studies, according to an online profile of the school published by DATAUSA (datausa.io/profile/university/beth-medrash-meor-yitzchok).
If approved, the site will house approximately 200 students with overnight accommodations as well as 12 to 18 professors and administrators located on the south eastern side of Old Forge Road adjacent to Sterling Pines Road. The college plans to disturb only 0.3 acres in its renovation of the seven-acre property.
The planning board took no action on the application at the meeting but listened to two dozen or so residents voice their concerns over the project.
A consistent theme emerged from the speakers. They wanted the board to issue a positive declaration of SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) and subject the project to a full EIS environmental review.
Charactor issue
The issue of the character of the applicants came into question, as well, with four speakers expressing questions about the good will of the religious community.
The planning board chairman Ben Astorino shot down these questions.
“Discrimination,” Astorino said, “does enter the minds of the board.”
Resident Jim Mehling said: “A lot of people here tonight are supporting you to do your due diligence.”
Astorino responded: “This board always does its due diligence.”
Resident Chris Keelty said: “This is not about who these people are. We still have religious freedom. But this seems like a step in the wrong direction.”
The plan is for the students to be bussed in and out monthly. The site will have 78 parking spaces. It was purchased from NYU in 2021 and their application started in January 2024.
In November the planning board reviewed its EAF Part 2. The bar for a full EIS environmental review is one adverse impact. Residents suggested that the impact on wildlife, traffic and water concerns could be triggers for the EIS.