L.A. City Council approves construction of Sherman Oaks synagogue

A day after the L.A. City Council approved a synagogue expansion for the second time, neighbors critical of the Sherman Oaks facility said they will closely monitor its operations.

Jeff Gantman, one of several opponents living near Chabad of North Hollywood, said he was disappointed with the council's unanimous decision Wednesday allowing a 12,000-square-foot building that is partially built to resume construction.

The facility, at the corner of Chandler Boulevard and Ethel Avenue, will replace a much smaller space that no longer accommodates the growing Orthodox Jewish congregation. Gantman and other opponents of the project were angered by Councilman Paul Koretz's motion permitting the 28-foot-high project to move forward.

"We will be working with the new councilman’s office to ensure that the conditions put in place to mitigate this project’s impact on the neighborhood are followed correctly," Gantman said.

Critics said the synagogue is too big for their residential neighborhood. After years of legal wrangling, they won a court decision saying the city erred in its first approval process. That necessitated a second approval vote this week.

Chabad supporters turned out in force at Wednesday's hearing and broke out in applause after the vote.

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Photo: Neighbors of an expansion of Chabad of North Hollywood sued the city over the size of the 12,000-square-foot, 28-foot-tall building at the corner of Chandler Boulevard and Ethel Avenue. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times