The Ohr Yisroel of Tenafly is making a big bet at 150 Kotte Place in northern Hackensack. Less than a year after the school system acquired Edward Williams Hall from Farleigh Dickinson University, the Jewish school is proposing a significant expansion to the 40,000-square-foot building.
Attorneys working on behalf of Ohr Yisroel recently appeared before the Hackensack planning board. They presented a site plan proposal that would add an additional floor to the existing building and extend the southeastern portion of the property. Meeting documents from the city planning board’s meeting held on May 15 state that Ohr Yisroel intends to erect a building with 30 new classrooms, a pool area, conference rooms, and offices, in addition to a new basketball court, two pickleball courts, and a revamp of the existing lot.
The development builds on the existing academic facilities in the area, including Bergen County Academies, Bergen County Technical Schools, and FDU’s own facilities. The site is also near U.S. Route 4, the Target on Hackensack Avenue, the Hackensack Cemetery, and Brooklyn Pizza.
Property records made public by the Bergen County Clerk’s Office state that Ohr Yisroel paid $6 million for the building and adjacent parking lot. Records from the county clerk’s office show FDU sold the property at 540 River Street for $1.6 million back in January 2021 and that the university acquired the property at 914 River Road in Teaneck in 2007.
A news release from FDU, issued in September, states that Ohr Yisroel will revamp the existing classrooms and athletic center at the building. The university also stated that it has partnered with the school to offer students the opportunity to earn college credits upon returning from studying in Israel. Students can take up to 18 college credits at FDU while also taking courses at Ohr Yisroel’s new building. After graduating and spending two years in yeshiva, they will need only 30 credits to complete their degrees.
FDU’s presence in Hackensack and Teaneck dates back to the 1950s. In 1954, the university replaced the old Bergen Junior College in Teaneck before acquiring a 30-acre tract of land across the Hackensack River in Hackensack in 1962. The Edward Williams Hall at 150 Kotte Place was the first building that the university erected in Hackensack, and served as a two-year liberal arts school known as Edward Williams College, according to an archive from the Township of Teaneck.
Ohr Yisroel spent two years in Tenafly before moving to a rented space in Ridgewood, according to the news release from FDU. A report in Jewishlink.news says that the school commenced operation in 2020 when all of its general studies classes were online. The school system did not return a request for comment from Jersey Digs.
