Redesigned Hindu temple approved

Temple-Property-2A new house of worship for Madison-area Hindus will soon be built on South Fish Hatchery Road.

The city’s Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to the American Hindu Association for a temple at 2138 S. Fish Hatchery Road at its Sept. 16 meeting. The building – designed by Supreme Structures of Fitchburg – was originally approved as a metal pole barn-type construction. Approval was given to the group in April 2013, but the building was never built. The final plans have been updated to include a wood-frame building with masonry, stucco and shingled roof, said chairman of the association’s board of trustees Mahesh Sharma.

“These changes allow us to construct a high-end, energy efficient building that has all of the requirements set forth by our religion,” Sharma said in a letter to the city.

A public hearing earlier this month drew no opposition to the plans.

The 4,320-square-foot building will have a first-floor worship area and a multipurpose room in the basement.

The American Hindu Association chose to limit the building’s capacity to 160 people instead of the 300 people allowed by the state. The limit is based on tenants of the Hindu religion, city documents show.

Commission members chose to include the AHA capacity limits as a condition of the site use so that any future user would also be limited to about 160 people, based on the 32 approved parking stalls.
Construction is expected to be finished this coming spring.

Source: Connect Fitchburg