A commercial property in Monroe is being proposed as the future home of a Taoist temple.
According to a report in The Monroe Sun, the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) will consider an application that would enable the transition of the 707 Main St. property owned and occupied by Fairfield Auction to become the Jih Rong Temple. The two-story property, which was a restaurant and banquet hall before its purchase by Fairfield Auction 13 years ago, covers 9,800 square feet and included 198 parking spaces.
The buyers of the property, Jih Rong Temple Corp., plan to conduct worship services on Sundays between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. while leasing part of the building to commercial tenants.
The commission raised questions of potential lost tax revenue if the property were to become a faith-based center and an added traffic burden on Sundays. However, PZC Secretary Ryan Condon observed that the site would generate more traffic throughout the week if it reverted back to a restaurant, and he noted the loss of tax revenue would be balanced by having Taoist worshippers from outside of the town coming to the temple every weekend.
“We have to remember, sometimes it is a good thing to bring people into town for our businesses,” he said. “There are good vegetarian options in town.”
