255 Rockville Pike 2nd Floor Rockville, MD 02850 Re: JSS Spirtual Mission Temple 7710 Hawkins Creamery Road Gaithersburg, MD I. Introduction The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a brief introduction about Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreshwara s Spiritual Mission (JSS) mission and overall operation and functionality of the proposed facility. The memo will discuss key elements of the operation that affect the design of the proposed facility such as occupancy, parking demand, and septic flow discharge. The house of worship proposed by JSS at the project site is unique in terms of its mission, purpose, and mode of operation and is unlike other typical or regular Indian or Hindu temples in Maryland. JSS is a nonprofit religious organization, led by a spiritual head originally from the state of Karnataka in India, which provides humanitarian services and teaches practical means of spiritual growth irrespective of religion or race. By contrast, most of the Indian Hindu temples in Maryland and across the United States cater to those practices of Hinduism that are oriented towards Hindu theology and religious practices, which generally attract a larger number of visitors. JSS enables its membership to become positive contributors to society by teaching practical means of spiritual growth and happiness. JSS has made a very positive impact on children who are born in the United States to recent immigrants by teaching them culture, language, and the arts, and more importantly helping to instill values of as community service, tolerance, charity, respect for other religions, coping with peer pressure, etc.
Page 2 Although the JSS is different from typical or regular Indian or Hindu Temple in terms of its goals and missions, it is important to understand that the services at any Hindu temple are distinct from other houses of worship of other religions. For example, most churches, synagogues, or mosques have a minimum of one or two scheduled services during the course of the week (or eve per day). But at any Hindu temple, visitors have the flexibility to come in at any time during the hours of operation of the facility for prayer and spiritual discussions with the priests. Hindu temples typically do not attract vehicular traffic or visitors in a particular peak hour or period that would affect the parking capacity, traffic, environmental impacts, or sanitary discharge. In addition, only visitors who visit the facility for worship would be using the proposed Yoga/Meditation Hall, where classes or follow up sessions will be taught only by volunteers who are specially trained by JSS organization. These volunteers are well trained in Yoga based on ancient Sanskrit text believed to have been written about 5,000 years ago by the Indian sage Patanjali, aka Patanjali Yoga. Unlike the modern Yoga and Meditations, these Yoga and Meditations are taught based on esoteric meaning and deeper mystical teachings of Patanjali, which has special requirements in terms of space, surrounding environment, and instruments. This facility is designed to fulfill such needs. II. Proposed Facility JSS proposes to construct a new building on the property located at 7710 Hawkins Creamery Road, Gaithersburg, MD in 2018 in order to fully carry out its mission. Currently, there is a house, barn, and storage shed on the property. Based on the survey, the barn area is 17,530 square feet (sf) and the storage shed is 680 sf. JSS proposes to demolish the storage shed and convert the barn to an outdoor pavilion; the existing house would remain occupied. The proposed facility would be a one-story building with a basement. The proposed building would have a foot print of 18,210 sf and the square footage with the basement would be double that (36,420 sf). The Basement will be 51% below ground level, in order to be exempt from the floor area total. The main level of the proposed facility would include a worship area/sanctum (approximately 2,600 sf). Access to the main altar and the surrounding area is restricted to worshippers to preserve the area s sanctity. The area would be demarcated by a handrail with proper signage. The worship area is always the first stop for any visitor to the facility. Typically, visitors who visit the facility for worship would use the adjacent Yoga and Meditation Hall (4,136 square feet) and cultural study rooms on the main level and dining hall in the basement. The Yoga/Meditation hall will be used only for the purpose of teaching yoga to maintain the sanctity of the hall. Based on the stringent needs of Patanjali Yoga that is typically taught by JSS, this room needs 20 square feet per person which means a maximum of 210 visitors can occupy the space at any given time. Yoga classes that are typically less attended and would only operate at or near capacity on a special event, which happens once per year. Yoga classes are also never held back-toback. The basement of the facility would have a dining hall and attached warm-up kitchen. This area is also known as a Prasad Hall. Prasad is a small amount of food (flowers, fresh fruits, a home-cooked dish, or sweets)
Page 3 that worshippers typically cook at home and bring to the facility to offer to God to thank the Almighty for everything that nature has provided. The dining hall/prasad Hall will have a fixed seating (please see attached drawing) that can accommodate a maximum of 210 visitors. Prasad that was offered to god and sanctified by the priest in the alter area is typically re-warmed and eaten in the Prasad Hall. The warm-up kitchen would be used only to warm up the food. Cooking would be prohibited in the warm-up kitchen; that area would only be used to warm up the Prasad after prayers in the worship area/sanctum. The dining hall would not be used for parties or banquets, and alcohol and meat would not be permitted anywhere in the proposed facility. III. Trip Generation It is very important to understand the purpose of JSS and the facility s operations in order to understand the trip generation methodology used to estimate the expected number of trips that would be generated by the proposed facility. Services at a Hindu temple are distinct from other houses of worship. For example, most churches or synagogues have at least one scheduled service during the course of the week. These services would attract a large portion of attendees in the hour leading up to the service. In addition, churches and synagogues typically have fixed seats, which is not the case in a Hindu temple. In Hinduism, visitors have the flexibility to worship at the facility whenever the facility is open for prayer and spiritual discussions with the priests. Due to the unique nature of the proposed facility s operation as described above, it is not appropriate to categorize it as a place of worship as defined by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual. The sample data used for computing the average rate of vehicle trip ends for churches in the ITE Trip Generation Manual is significantly low and no regression coefficient is provided. This indicates low accuracy of the empirical data that was used for computing the corresponding rate. In addition, Hindu temples do not have any fixed seats, which is the independent variable in any ITE trip generation rate for a house of worship. Hence, sources such as ITE trip generation rates cannot be applied. In order to determine the number of trips that would be attracted to the proposed JSS facility, the following process was undertaken: 1) interview the Administrator of JSS; 2) research the JSS membership roster; 3) interview several members of the JSS congregation; and 4) perform an auto occupancy survey at another Indian/Hindu comparable facilities. Currently, the congregation has about 160 individual members who are spread across Maryland. In this region, the membership has been steady for the last several years with little to no increase. Similar to Christianity, there are several sects in Hinduism. As explained earlier, JSS is led by a spiritual head from the
Page 4 Indian state of Karnataka and a significant number of members follow a certain sect of Hinduism originating from the same. Due to its very concentrated regional presence in the Indian state of Karnataka, the facility would attract mostly people who emigrated from this region compared to other regions in India. Hence, the possibility of an increase in membership is very limited and JSS does not foresee any major membership growth in the foreseeable future. Therefore, the number of trips that would be generated under the future conditions was based on the projected membership of 200 individuals, which is a conservative estimate. The majority of these visitors would be from Maryland. It is assumed that the mode of transportation for all visitors would be by car. A detailed description of activities and expected number of visitors at the JSS facility is given below. Typical Weekday Activities During a typical weekday, the facility would be open from 9 AM to 12 PM and from 6 PM to 8 PM. On weekdays, members can visit during those operating hours to pray, meditate, or have spiritual discussions with the priest. Based on discussions with the facility management and research of the membership roster, it is estimated that there would be no more than 10 visitors (approximately four cars based on an auto occupancy of 2.6 people per auto from a survey at a comparable location) throughout the day, which is typical at the other Indian Hindu temples in the region. Typical Weekend Activities On a typical weekend, the facility would be open to the public between 9 AM to 12 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM. It is estimated that there will be a maximum of 50 visitors throughout the day, translating to approximately 20 cars based on an auto occupancy survey at a comparable facility throughout the day. Members can visit during those hours to pray, participate in spiritual or cultural discussions, and attend enrichment study groups for adults and children, which focus on culture, language, yoga, and meditation. Major Religious Holiday (Weekend Only) A major religious holiday (eight per year) is observed on the weekends. During a major religious holiday, special prayer sessions would be organized throughout the day (9 AM to 12 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM). It is estimated that there would be a maximum of 200 visitors (approximately 78 cars) throughout the day to participate in the special prayer sessions. On these days there would not be any other activities other than special prayers and Yoga and Meditation. Activities During Special Events (Weekend Only) Once a year there would be a special event to celebrate the main deity s holiday (known as Shiva Ratri) on a weekend. During a special event, there would be spiritual and other related activities in various sessions spread throughout the evening, typically from 4 PM to 8 PM. Members have the flexibility to choose the
Page 5 programs they would like to attend. It is estimated that during such special event, there would be a maximum of 200 visitors (approximately 78 cars) throughout those hours. Although the current membership roster has about 160 members in the region (which, as stated above, has been steady for the last three years) and not all members are likely to visit for any given special event, the analysis conservatively assumes 200 visitors to the project site. JSS would like to accommodate a maximum of 200 visitors in the Yoga/Meditation hall for Patanjali Yoga and Meditation. As explained above, there would be spiritual and other related activities typically from 4 PM to 8 PM and it is expected that during such an event, the majority of the visitors would arrive and depart over a 2-3 hour period at the beginning or end of the event. Table 1 below shows the estimated maximum number of visitors to the proposed JSS facility. Table 1: Anticipated Total Cars Throughout the Day Day Expected No. of Visitors Expected no. of cars per day Typical Weekday 10 4 Typical Weekend 50 20 Major Holiday/Weekend 200 78 Special Event Weekend 200 78 Note: Auto Occupancy = 2.6 IV. Parking Conditions Traditionally, the parking requirement for a proposed project is based on the maximum size in square feet of each individual use (such as residential, retail, office, etc.). But, as explained in the trip generation methodology, the proposed facility cannot be categorized as a typical place of worship with fixed seating. Considering the unique operation of the facility, in which visitors have the flexibility to arrive anytime during the hours of operation of the facility, and based on the projected patronage, the proposed facility would have low parking demand at any given time during a typical weekday and weekend. The parking requirement of the proposed JSS facility has been estimated based on the expected maximum demand, which is equal to about 78 spaces, or the maximum number of trips expected to be attracted to the site, as described above under Trip Generation. Three of those spaces would be an ADA-compliant space for a standard vehicle and one space would be ADA-compliant for a van. V. Additional Information JSS is willing to file a deed restriction for the property specifying the various use limitations and restrictions. The deed will state that: (a) there shall be no hosting of banquets, weddings, or parties at the property other than Vedic wedding (it is religious ceremony participated by immediate family members and friends). Typically this event is followed by a banquet or a celebration outside the temple premises; (b) servicing of alcoholic beverages shall be prohibited; and (c) the only food preparation will be in connection with spiritual practices. Furthermore, the deed restriction will also state that any future sale of the property will require an approval from the county, which may be reasonably withheld if the use of the facility by its new owner
Page 6 would be more intense than was represented by JSS to the county and is not in conformance with applicable regulations. We will submit the precise language to be included in the deed record for County approval before filing. We believe this memo has adequately explained the operation and usage to ensure that the use of the facility is consistent and in conformance with the basis for occupancy, design flow, and parking occupancy determination. Once these details are reviewed and accepted by you, we will reach out to the County officials and provide them with detailed drawings for their site plan approval. We sincerely thank you for your cooperation and assistance and look forward to bringing this matter to a mutually acceptable resolution. If you have any questions or need to discuss the details contained in this memo, please feel free to call me at (609)468-4396. Sincerely, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Babu K. Veeregowda, PE Principal