NY synagogue skirted legal requirements in building sale

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(JTA) — A New York City synagogue did not follow state regulations in selling its building to the city, the state attorney general’s office said.

The Bayside Jewish Center in the borough of Queens failed to file the required petition informing the New York state attorney general of the proposed sale to the New York City School Construction Authority prior to finalizing the deal, the Queens TimesLedger reported Thursday. The building was sold last month to the authority, which will use it as a high school.

The petition would have allowed the attorney general to review the sale and make sure it accords with the law.

“By rushing to sell the Bayside Jewish Center, not only were the nearly unanimous objections to the proposal ignored, but so too were the regulations governing it,” State Sen. Tony Avella, who asked the attorney general to examine the sale, said in a statement, according to the TimesLedger. “The attorney general can’t review the deal’s compliance with the law if he was never presented it in the first place.”

Area residents are concerned that the new school may be too big and could lead to increased traffic, the weekly newspaper reported.

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