The Chabad Jewish Community Center is one step closer to establishing a permanent home in Folsom after recently receiving unanimous design approval for a new 23,483-square-foot synagogue and community facility on Hana Way.
The approval clears the way for the two-story building planned on a two-acre parcel at 795 Hana Way, located at the end of the cul-de-sac near East Bidwell Street. The congregation currently operates out of a commercial shop space on South Lexington Drive, but the newly approved facility will provide a purpose-built campus designed to accommodate worship services, education programs and broader community gatherings.
Plans call for a 17,285-square-foot ground floor and a 6,198-square-foot second floor. The ground level will include a synagogue sanctuary, classrooms, community gathering space, a social hall, a teen lounge and a mikva, a traditional Jewish ritual bath. The second floor will house offices, conference rooms and four guest rooms intended to support visiting scholars and extended programming.
Site improvements include a 53-space parking lot, a plaza and courtyard area, and a rear patio designed for outdoor use. Architecturally, the proposal features a combination of flat and low-angled rooflines with natural earth-tone exterior materials, incorporating masonry, woodgrain and concrete slab finishes intended to complement the surrounding business-professional corridor.
City records show the property’s history dates back decades. In 1989, the city approved a parcel map and rezoned the original 6.73-acre property from agricultural reserve to business-professional, dividing it into three parcels oriented around the newly created Hana Way cul-de-sac. The southern parcel at 785 Hana Way was later developed into an office building, while 790 Hana Way remains undeveloped.
The two-acre parcel slated for the Chabad center currently contains a 2,336-square-foot single-story home built in 1976, along with a pool and small outbuildings. All existing structures are scheduled for demolition to make way for the new facility.
The Chabad Center acquired the property approximately three years ago. The land lies within the East Bidwell Corridor Overlay General Plan area and the Humbug-Willow Creek Parkway master plan.
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism dedicated to Jewish education, outreach and acts of loving-kindness, known as chesed. The organization operates more than 3,500 institutions in more than 100 countries worldwide. The Hana Way project represents a significant investment in expanding Jewish life and creating a permanent gathering space for families in Folsom and the surrounding region.
With design approval secured, the project will now move into the next stages of permitting before construction can begin.
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